A Joint Committee consisting of members of the Committee on Education, Interior, Foreign Affairs, Youth Development and Federal Polytechnics from the House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Federal Ministry of Education as well as some clerks of Parliament, has on Thursday, 24th September, 2026 engaged the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) as part of a fact-finding mission into allegations of certificate racketeering and forgery involving some Nigerian students in collusion with some officials from educational institutions, ministries, departments and agencies.
The 19-member delegation, which was in Ghana following similar engagements in the Republic of Benin and Togo, was led by Hon. Abubakar H. Falata. The visit provided an opportunity for both sides to discuss concerns surrounding the verification of academic certificates and measures being adopted to safeguard the integrity and credibility of qualifications issued by accredited institutions.
According to the lead, the exercise became necessary following the identification of a disturbing trend involving the acquisition and use of questionable academic credentials. A case was cited involving a Nigerian journalist who gained admission to an institution in Benin and reportedly had to make payments to obtain a certificate without following the required academic processes. The individual subsequently used the certificate to undertake national service in Nigeria. This finding ultimately resulted in the harsh decision of the Nigerian Government derecognising certificates obtained from the said institution within the period (2017-date). Again, persons who gained employment using the certificates from the same institution were dismissed.
The issue of credential evaluation was also discussed, particularly concerns regarding delays in obtaining responses to requests for verification and evaluation of certificates.
Addressing the delegation, the Director-General of GTEC, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai, outlined the Commission’s regulatory responsibility and the need to maintain public confidence in Ghana’s Tertiary Education system.
He explained that some of the measures introduced by GTEC to safeguard the Commission and protect the integrity of Ghanaian academic qualifications had, in some instances, resulted in operational challenges for institutions, students and other stakeholders since it involved persons, high ranked in society, politicians, religious men and women and so on.
The Director-General explained further that, the measures were not intended to unnecessarily restrict access to legitimate academic processes but were introduced as part of efforts to close loopholes, strengthen institutional accountability and prevent practices that could undermine the credibility of qualifications issued by Ghanaian Tertiary Institutions.
Prof. Abdulai further stressed the importance of effective collaboration between Ghanaian and Nigerian authorities, particularly in the verification of certificates and the exchange of reliable information concerning institutions, programmes and graduates. Also, the engagement was expected to promote exchange of staff and students.
The Director-General finally requested that the delegation shares a copy of their report with GTEC as soon as it became available and promised to address the very key concerns raised in their request letter as soon as possible.
The engagement followed a formal request from the High Commission of Nigeria for a courtesy visit to GTEC, where the High Commission indicated that the delegation was on a fact-finding mission to investigate allegations of certificate racketeering.
Also present at the meeting to support the Director-General, Prof. Ahmed Jinapor Abdulai were the Deputy Director-General, Prof. Augustine Ocloo, the Director of Accreditation, Mr. Saaka Sayuti, the Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr, Jerry Sarfo, the Ag. Head, Credential Evaluation Department, and the Ag. Head, PR and Protocol.