NCCE shuts 22 illegal colleges in nationwide crackdown as Tinubu urges regulatory sweep

The National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) has uncovered and closed 22 illegal colleges of education as part of an enforcement drive aimed at stamping out unaccredited providers, the commission has announced.

In a statement of achievements seen by our correspondent the NCCE said plainly: “The NCCE identified and shut down 22 illegal Colleges of Education operating across the country.”

The move follows President Bola Tinubu’s public call for regulatory agencies to act against “certificate millers” and other institutions that undermine the credibility of Nigerian higher education, an appeal he reiterated at the National Open University’s 14th convocation in Abuja.

Tinubu – represented at the event by the Director of University Education, Rakiya Ilyasu – warned that the integrity of the academic system “must not be compromised,” and spelled out a government intention to strengthen alignment between the NUC, NBTE, NCCE, NYSC, and JAMB in a bid to cleanse the sector.

The NCCE also reported internal audits and monitoring across federal colleges of education as part of a broader push to protect standards and reassure parents and employers about the value of Nigerian qualifications.