The National Universities Commission (NUC) has revealed that it discovered approximately 100 individuals falsely claiming the title of professor in universities across the country.
The Executive Secretary of NUC, Abubakar Rasheed, reportedly disclosed this information during the annual retreat for Vice-Chancellors of all universities between October 28 and November 5 at the NUC Headquarters in Abuja.
The criteria used by NUC to identify these alleged fake professors remain unclear. Mr. Rasheed urged vice-chancellors to designate desk officers to verify the list of professors in their respective universities, which was posted on the NUC website.
He commended the vice-chancellors for collaborating with the NUC Strategy Advisory Committee and emphasized the importance of accurate statistics on staff, students, and other components within universities.
Mr. Rasheed mentioned anomalies, particularly in private universities, where individuals with minimal teaching experience were awarded professorships.
The NUC executive secretary appealed to vice-chancellors to report any fake professors in their universities and surroundings.
He expressed gratitude for their efforts in compelling professors to upload their curriculum vitae on the website, facilitating the compilation of the Directory of Full Professors in the Nigeria University System (NUS) and identifying fake professors.
Mr. Rasheed assured federal university vice-chancellors that the government would continue appointing technocrats and elder statesmen as Chairmen and Pro-Chancellors of Governing Councils of federal universities.
The retreat, organized separately for federal, state, and private universities, aimed to address challenges and find solutions within the Nigerian University System (NUS).
The updated versions of the NUS documents, including the Directory of Full Professors and Statistical Digest, were expected to be published by December 2019, with a commitment to updating the statistical digest every first quarter of the year.
