The Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Professor Attahiru Jega, has raised alarm over the falling standards in Nigeria’s tertiary education system, alleging that universities now award degrees to individuals lacking both academic competence and good character.

Jega made the remarks on Friday, April 11, while delivering the 14th Convocation Lecture of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja.

According to the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), many Nigerian universities now graduate students who do not meet the basic expectations of higher education.

“The expectation is that university graduates are positioned for the ideal of having both learning and character. This ideal, once achievable in Nigerian universities, has now become a mere aspiration,” he lamented.

“In most cases, our universities offer certification to illiterates and award degrees to persons without worthy character,” Jega stated, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to the credibility and integrity of the nation’s education system.

He further emphasized that convocation ceremonies should serve not only as a celebration of academic achievement but also as an inspiration for students, faculty, and staff to collectively address the pressing challenges within the academic environment and the larger society.