By Abdulqadir Muhammad Alhaji
The National Universities Commission (NUC) has stated that the International University of Bamenda (IUB), Cameroon, is not on its list of approved foreign universities available to the Commission.
The clarification was contained in a letter dated July 14, 2026, signed by the Director of Academic Planning, Abubakar M. Girei, on behalf of the Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu. The letter was transmitted to WikkiTimes on July 22, 2026, following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request filed by the newspaper.
According to the Commission, it is not responsible for verifying certificates issued by foreign universities. It further stated that the International University of Bamenda is not among the approved universities in Cameroon available to the Commission.
The development comes amid allegations surrounding the PhD obtained by Yakubu Adamu, the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) governorship candidate in Bauchi State and former state commissioner, who said he earned the doctorate from the institution in 2020.
Earlier investigations by WikkiTimes reported that the NUC had initially not responded to its FOI request. While officials of the Commission maintained that the verification of foreign institutions falls under the Federal Ministry of Education, the Commission’s latest response provides its official position regarding the status of the university.
The investigations also found that several foreign institutions listed by IUB as academic partners denied having formal affiliations with the university. In addition, Cameroon’s Ministry of Higher Education has maintained that no private higher education institution in the country is authorised to offer doctoral programmes or award PhD degrees.
Further findings revealed that the National Commission for Private Higher Education in Cameroon sanctioned the International University of Bamenda in 2024 over allegations related to the issuance of false diplomas and other regulatory violations.
Meanwhile, the Federal Ministry of Education has yet to respond to a separate FOI request seeking clarification on the recognition of qualifications issued by the institution, despite the timeframe stipulated under Nigeria’s Freedom of Information Act, 2011.
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