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Nigerian universities have been accused of under-reporting the number of students and hiring professors already employed in other universities. They wanted to convince the National Universities Commission (NUC) that they have sufficient staff to meet master/student ratio requirements and maintain their program accreditation. Another issue raised in the NUC review process is the practice of sending lecturers to monitor activities in their own areas of study. This has led the lecturers to compromise on standards to favour their colleagues who may also then be sent to accredit programmes in their schools.

While the West likes to highlight examples of corruption or malpractice in Africa, in fact they can be found in every country, including the US and the UK. Nigeria as one of a number of countries developing quality assurance capacity that is instituting explicit laws against certain types of corruption, monitoring institutions and shutting them down if there is evidence of corruption. Across Africa, GUNi-Africa is building capacity, talking to officials, pressing for public awareness and ensuring that people who are caught are sanctioned and that the sanctions are publicised.

A top Nigerian academic has generated heated debate after publicly criticising the country’s university accreditation agency for lack of autonomy, negligence and double standards in its annual accreditation of courses. All accusations have been denied by the agency. The Professor accused the National Universities Commission, or NUC, of becoming a mouthpiece for government and failing to perform its duties as a regulatory agency created to ensure quality in universities. He accused the NUC of aiding and abetting corruption in its accreditation exercise, and said there were allegations that some people conducting accreditation “receive brown envelopes” – a euphemism for bribes – which also undermined the credibility of NUC accreditation.

From 1995 to 2001, Nigerian degree mills produced annually about 15 percent of total university graduates in the country. In the past 9 years, a flurry of activity has been directed at eradicating the degree mills. In 1999, the National Council on Education (NUC) directed the closure of all local and foreign satellite campuses. It also partnered with the Department of State Services (Nigeria's secret service) in locating, arresting, and prosecuting operators of unapproved universities and satellite campuses. Finally, it directed approved universities to make full disclosure of their programs, which have been listed in the Directory of Approved Programmes in the Nigerian University System.

EDO and Benue states topped the list of states engaged in examination malpractice following the de-recognition of 324 secondary schools nationwide by the federal government. The affected schools have been barred from hosting public examinations organised by West African Examinations Council and National Teachers Institute for four years beginning from 2007 to 2010.

The president of the Computer Professionals Registration Council has given further insights as to why it is necessary to accredit members and operators in the sector. The president will put an end to the proliferation of all sorts of sub-standard computer schools in order to set a higher standard of erudition and professionalism. This will make it possible to begin to export manpower to other countries.