The House of Representatives committee investigating alleged certificate racketeering in Nigeria has warned against certificate forgery and racketeering.

Chairman of the committee, Rep. Abubakar Fulata (APC-Jigawa), issued the warning in a statement on Saturday after a week-long oversight visit to relevant government agencies in Abuja.

Mr Fulata said that the committee had vowed to curb the disturbing trend as severe measures and sanctions would not be spared on anyone found wanting, to serve as deterrent to others.

According to him, if the vice is not properly and timely checked, it can jeopardise the education sector.

The lawmaker said that any country that trivialises education undermines its future and generations to come, as it (education) remains the bedrock of development of a nation.

He stated that the oversight visit to relevant agencies of government was not a witch-hunt, but to ascertain compliance with the provisions of the law in respect of quality education.

Mr Fulata said that the committee drew its powers from a resolution of the house which mandated the investigation, following an allegation of certificate racketeering, arising from revelations made by an investigative journalist.

He recalled that the journalist, who appeared before the committee, narrated how he got a degree certificate from a tertiary institution in Benin Republic within six weeks, for a programme meant for a minimum of four years.

M Fulata quoted the journalist as saying that he was also mobilised for the one-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.

He further stated said that the journalist told the committee that he got his passport stamped and all necessary authorisation from Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) as though he had been traveling out of the country for the study, even when he did not travel out of the country for once.

Mr Fulata noted that the committee, within the week, visited ministries of education and interior as well as National Universities Commission (NUC) and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), among others.

He said that the minister of education, Tunji Alausa, had pledged to take necessary steps to tackle the disturbing trend of certificate forgery and racketeering.

The lawmaker also said that the minister of interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, had reiterated his commitment to ensuring the automation of visa and passport issuance within the shortest time possible.

(NAN)