The National Universities Commission (NUC) has debunked a viral message claiming that about 100 fake professors have been uncovered in Nigerian universities, describing the publication as misleading and fabricated.
The commission urged members of the public to disregard the circulating message, which allegedly contains a list of individuals presented as fake professors in the Nigerian University System.
In a statement, the NUC explained that the viral publication combined a recently generated fake list with a Channels Television report originally published in 2019 to create a misleading impression.
According to the commission, a careful comparison of the circulating message with the original Channels Television report reveals that the two separate materials were deliberately merged to mislead unsuspecting members of the public.
The NUC described the publication as a sinister attempt to tarnish the image of the Nigerian University System and undermine the reputation and integrity of Nigerian academics.
It therefore called on Nigerians to ignore the message and avoid circulating the unverified claims.
The commission further highlighted the efforts of its Executive Secretary, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, who assumed office in December 2024, towards strengthening integrity, transparency and accountability in the university system.
It maintained that no such cases of fake professors had been uncovered under Ribadu’s leadership, while reaffirming its commitment to protecting the credibility of Nigerian universities and the academic community.
Similarly, the Federal Ministry of Education has dismissed viral claims that the National Universities Commission (NUC) identified 2,000 universities in Nigeria and uncovered about 100 fake professors. The ministry described the reports as recycled misinformation that could undermine public confidence in the country’s university system.
In a statement, the Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, said the NUC had never put the number of universities in Nigeria at 2,000. He added that the commission had neither published nor endorsed the list circulating on social media that labels some individuals as fake professors.
The ministry traced the claim about fake professors to a media report published on December 3, 2019, about an NUC exercise to verify its directory of full professors in Nigerian universities. It said the original report did not contain the names now circulating online and that the commission had disowned the list.
The ministry urged the public, media organisations and social media users to verify information about recognised universities and academic standards through the NUC’s official channels before sharing it.
It also reaffirmed its support for the commission’s work to uphold academic integrity and strengthen quality assurance in Nigerian universities
