The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has uncovered and shut down 22 illegal Colleges of Education operating across the country.

The development follows a nationwide crackdown on unapproved higher institutions, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to regulatory agencies to rid Nigeria’s education system of what he described as “certificate millers.”

Speaking at the 14th convocation ceremony of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja, President Tinubu represented by the Director of University Education at the Federal Ministry of Education, Rakiya Ilyasu stressed that the integrity of the nation’s academic system must not be compromised.

The President directed the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the NCCE to intensify their efforts in shutting down illegal institutions that undermine the credibility of the education sector.

He further noted that agencies including the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the NUC, NBTE, and NCCE are working collaboratively to strengthen the quality of education, while ensuring that forgery and unrecognised institutions, both within and outside the country, are eliminated from Nigeria’s education ecosystem.