NUC discredits claims of uncovered fake Professors in Nigerian Universities

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has refuted recent reports suggesting the discovery of fake professors in Nigerian universities. Chris Maiyaki, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Commission, issued a statement in Abuja on Monday, dismissing the claims as unfounded.

Maiyaki specifically addressed a report titled “About 100 fake professors just uncovered in Nigerian universities – NUC,” deeming it a product of the authors’ imagination. He characterized the publications as ill-conceived and suggested they were orchestrated by unscrupulous individuals to create disquiet at both national and international levels.

“The attention of the Commission has been drawn to news items circulating on social media, some national dailies, and television stations, to the effect that the Commission has just ‘discovered over 100 fake Professors in Nigerian Universities,'” stated Maiyaki.

He clarified that the circulating news items took two forms: a link to a 2019 online news item and a separate list of names of alleged fake professors in various Nigerian universities. However, he emphasized that this was not the case.

Maiyaki pointed out that the Commission had previously published a list of full professors who participated in an exercise in 2019, and the plan was to continually update the list. He questioned the rationale behind resurrecting the “stale” 2019 news in 2024, more than four years later.

“The purpose and objective of resurrecting this-no-longer-fresh news in 2024 is clearly intended to generate unnecessary controversy,” he added. Maiyaki underscored the Commission’s duty to protect and uphold the integrity of diligent academics in Nigerian universities, who have earned national and international respect.