Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Education disputed viral claims that the country has 2,000 universities and about 100 fake professors, saying the allegations could erode public trust in Nigerian universities.
The ministry said the National Universities Commission (NUC), Nigeria's university regulator, had never reported that figure and had not validated the online list. BusinessDay reported the ministry's response in a statement signed by Boriowo Folasade, the ministry's director of press and public relations. Education Minister Maruf Tunji Alausa separately said the NUC had not issued or authenticated the claims attributed to it.
The ministry traced the professors allegation to a media story published Dec. 3, 2019, about an NUC review of the directory of full professors at Nigerian universities. It said the names now circulating online were absent from that story and that the NUC had disavowed the list.
The ministry urged the public and media to use the NUC's official channels to check information about recognized universities and academic standards. It warned that circulation of the claims could damage confidence in the country's university system.
