FG shuts down 22 illegal Colleges of Education

As part of an intensified move to sanitise the country’s education system, the Federal Government has shut down 22 illegal Colleges of Education operating across Nigeria.

The action was confirmed in a recent achievements report by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), obtained by our correspondent.

The report indicates that the closures followed a nationwide crackdown on unapproved institutions offering education programmes without federal accreditation.

“The NCCE identified and shut down 22 illegal Colleges of Education operating across the country. The NCCE also conducted personnel audit and financial monitoring in all the 21 federal colleges of education,” the commission noted.

This development comes just weeks after President Bola Tinubu ordered federal education agencies to step up efforts to eliminate illegal colleges and higher institutions nationwide.

Speaking at the 14th convocation ceremony of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in Abuja, President Tinubu represented by Rakiya Ilyasu, Director of University Education at the Federal Ministry of Education warned that the rise of “certificate millers” threatens the credibility of Nigeria’s education system.

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“It has become imperative to reiterate that this administration remains committed to strengthening the integration of all agencies involved in the administration of education to enhance efficiency and quality,” the President stated.

He further affirmed that the Federal Government is collaborating with key institutions to safeguard the legitimacy of educational certificates in the country.

“The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), and the NCCE are working together to combat certificate fraud and unrecognised institutions within and outside Nigeria,” Tinubu emphasized.

The crackdown is part of a broader reform initiative aimed at restoring standards, ensuring quality control, and rebuilding public trust in Nigeria’s higher education framework.