The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which oversees nursing and midwifery professions in the UK, is planning to investigate numerous Nigerian applicants seeking registration with the council due to suspicions of exam fraud in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State, Nigeria.
The NMC maintains a registry of qualified professionals eligible to work as nurses, nursing associates, and midwives in the UK. International professionals must pass two assessments: a Computer-Based Test (CBT) typically taken in their home country and a practical test in the UK.
Following an inquiry into Yunnik Technologies, a test center in Oyo State, it was discovered that there was significant fraudulent activity related to its CBT services. This investigation began after reports of manipulated results at the test center surfaced in May.
A report in the UK journal Nursing Standard disclosed that the NMC found that a substantial number of Nigerian applicants had obtained fraudulent results from Yunnik Technologies. Consequently, more than 1,950 candidates who submitted results from the Ibadan-based test center are required to retake the test.
Furthermore, the NMC found evidence of proxy testers at the test center, raising suspicions that 48 out of the 515 professionals who took the test there had fraudulently registered.
Each of these individuals will be referred to an investigating committee to determine if they gained entry to the register fraudulently. They will have three opportunities to retake and pass a new CBT, during which they can provide information about their initial test at Yunnik. Those found to have gained registration fraudulently will be removed from the register, and all other CBT results from the center are considered invalid. The remaining 467 professionals on the register who took the test at the center will also need to retake the test.
The report additionally notes that those who refuse to retake the CBT or do not pass after three attempts will be referred to an investigative committee.