A delegation from the House of Representatives has paid a working visit to Lagos State University (LASU) to investigate and discuss measures aimed at curbing admission and certificate racketeering in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
The lawmakers, led by the Chairman of the House Ad-hoc Committee on Certificate Racketeering, Hon. Abubakar Fulata, were received by the university management at the Vice Chancellor’s Conference Room in Lagos. Other members of the delegation included Hon. Iliyasu Aliyin, Hon. Yusuf Kure, Hon. Rabiu Yusuf, Hon. Adams Ogene, and Hon. Faud Laguda. The visit, according to the committee, was part of a nationwide oversight tour to ensure accountability and transparency in university admission processes.
In her remarks, the Vice Chancellor of LASU, Prof. Ibiyemi Olatunji-Bello, represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Prof. Oseni Afisi, commended the lawmakers for their effort to sanitise Nigeria’s education system. She explained that LASU had taken significant steps to eliminate racketeering by fully digitalising its admission, registration, and certification processes. According to her, “every process from admission to certificate issuance is automated, making it virtually impossible to manipulate or falsify records.”
Prof. Olatunji-Bello also revealed that all certificates issued by LASU come with a unique QR code for instant global verification, ensuring authenticity and eliminating forgery. She added that the university’s accreditation success rate has remained impressive, recording over 98 percent in recent years due to its adherence to high academic and administrative standards.
Supporting her remarks, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Oluwatoyin Enikuomehin, highlighted the school’s policy of using National Identification Numbers (NIN) during student registration as an additional layer of verification. He also noted that LASU’s collaboration with the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) ensures only verified graduates are cleared for mobilization.
In response, Hon. Fulata and other lawmakers commended LASU for setting a model for other Nigerian universities through its advanced digital verification system. The committee members conducted a live demonstration of the university’s certificate verification portal and confirmed its efficiency. Fulata assured that the National Assembly would continue to work closely with LASU and other institutions to end the menace of certificate racketeering across the country.
