The Federal Government has dismissed viral reports claiming that Nigeria has 2,000 universities and that the National Universities Commission (NUC) has identified about 100 fake professors, describing the allegations as recycled misinformation.
The government said the NUC neither made such declarations nor authenticated the list of individuals being circulated on social media as fake professors.
The Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, made the clarification in a statement issued on Saturday by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade.
According to the ministry, the circulating reports falsely attributed the claims to the NUC, warning that the misinformation could undermine public confidence in the country’s university system.
“The NUC has never declared the existence of 2,000 universities in Nigeria or published, endorsed or authenticated the purported list of individuals circulating online as fake professors,” the statement said.
The ministry explained that the allegation concerning fake professors originated from a media report published on December 3, 2019, about an exercise conducted by the NUC to verify the directory of full professors in Nigerian universities.
However, it said the original report did not contain the names currently being circulated online, adding that the commission had disowned the purported list.
The Federal Government expressed concern over what it described as the persistent recycling of the claims, alleging that they were intended to discredit efforts to strengthen the education sector and damage the reputation of Nigerian universities.
“The Ministry expresses concern over the persistent recycling of these false claims, which are calculated to undermine public confidence in Nigerian universities and discredit ongoing efforts to strengthen the education sector, particularly the university system,” the statement added.
The ministry urged media organisations, social media users and members of the public to disregard the reports and verify information about recognised universities and academic standards through the NUC’s official communication channels.
It reaffirmed the government’s commitment to working with the commission to protect academic integrity, improve quality assurance and strengthen the international reputation of Nigeria’s university education system.
The clarification comes amid growing concerns over misinformation surrounding academic qualifications, institutional accreditation and the credibility of higher education in the country.
