The Federal Government has directed the immediate crackdown on all illegal tertiary institutions across the country.

The Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, said at a press conference in Abuja on Sunday that the move was necessary to make the job of regulatory agencies easier and protect students.

“It is crucial to state that while some of the illegal providers are operating illegal institutions based in Nigeria, some are online in unapproved linkages and affiliations with substandard foreign institutions that have no accreditation or recognition of regulatory bodies either in Nigeria or their home countries”.

“The proliferation of these illegal institutions has made the job of regulatory agencies in the sector very difficult. Such institutions also default in taxes. They do not keep to the rules of the game. They have no admission quota, they run unaccredited courses with practically no standards, their products are half baked and unemployable”.

“The Federal Government is determined to confront this menace frontally. The Federal Government will not sit back to allow lawless conduct to overwhelm the sector,” he said.

The minister stressed that the ban placed on satellite campuses and study centres was still in force, and directed all regulatory agencies in the education sector to work with security agencies to track, close the illegal centres, apprehend and prosecute their owners.

The regulatory agencies are the National Universities Commission (NUC), National Commission for Colleges of Education and National Board for Technical Education, NBTE.

Some of the illegal universities as identified by the NUC include: University of Accountancy and Management Studies, University of Industry, Yaba, Lagos, Blacksmith University, Awka, Atlanta University Anyigba, Logo state and UNESCO University, Ndoni, River State.

Also, Columbus University, UK, London External Studies, UK, Pebbies University, UK, Tiu International University, UK, among others.

Similarly, Adonai Polytechnic, Benue, Al-Ameen College of Health Sciences and Technology, Kaduna state, Assam School of Basic Health Science and Technology, Kaduna, Bethel Polytechnic, Benue State and Grand Royal College of Health Technology, Ekiti State were on the list of 68 unapproved polytechnics and Monotechnics operating in the country. (NAN)