The Federal Government of Nigeria has reaffirmed its decision to invalidate over 22,700 degree certificates obtained by Nigerians from what it describes as “fake” universities in neighboring Togo and Benin Republic.
Education Minister Tahir Mamman made this announcement during an appearance on Channels Television’s ‘Sunday Politics’ program, emphasizing that the crackdown is necessary to protect Nigeria’s educational integrity.
Minister Mamman clarified that the move to void these degrees is not overly harsh, as authorities in both Togo and Benin Republic have also deemed these institutions illegal.
“Nigerians who obtained degree certificates from such ‘illegal’ tertiary institutions are denting Nigeria’s image,” Mamman stated.
The minister’s comments follow a series of investigations that revealed widespread degree certificate racketeering. Last year, an undercover journalist exposed how he acquired a degree from a university in Benin Republic in under two months and was even deployed for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
As a result, the Federal Government suspended the accreditation of certificates from Togo and Benin Republic and launched an extensive probe.
Last Friday, at a press conference marking his first year in office, Mamman disclosed that over 22,700 Nigerians had obtained fake degree certificates from these countries.
During the television program, Mamman explained that the Federal Government recognizes only three institutions in Togo and five in Benin Republic as legitimate, labeling all others as illegal.
He added that many Nigerians with these fake certificates never actually attended classes abroad but instead acquired them through racketeering in collaboration with corrupt officials.
“The ‘fake universities’ have exploited the gullibility of Nigerians who patronize such institutions,” Mamman said, stressing that the Nigerian government will not tolerate this practice.
He also revealed that the offices of the Head of Civil Service and the Secretary of the Government of the Federation would take action to identify and remove government employees with these fraudulent certificates.
He encouraged the private sector to adopt similar measures to ensure the integrity of their workforce.
The Federal Government’s stance is clear: degrees from these unrecognized institutions will not be accepted, and efforts will be made to maintain the quality and reputation of Nigerian education.