By Goodluck Ikiebe
The Federal Government has announced that only eight universities in Togo and Benin Republic have been accredited to award degrees to Nigerians.
This position followed a clampdown on fake degrees from unapproved institutions in these countries.
Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, made this known during an appearance on Channels Television’s programme.
He said that the government was taking decisive steps to address the issue of fake degree certificates obtained by Nigerians from non-recognized institutions in Togo and Benin Republic.
Mamman said that over 22,500 Nigerians were found to have obtained fake degrees from universities in these two West African countries, and such certificates would be invalidated.
This decision followed a detailed report submitted to the Federal Executive Council by a committee tasked with investigating the degree certificate racketeering involving foreign and local universities.
The crackdown was spurred by an undercover investigation where a Nigerian journalist managed to acquire a degree from a university in Benin Republic in less than two months, using it to gain deployment for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
The incident exposed the extent of the certificate fraud, prompting the government’s swift action.
During the interview, the Minister disclosed the three institutions in Togo and five in Benin Republic that had been accredited by the federal government to offer degree programs to Nigerian students.
In Togo, the recognized universities are:
● Universite De Lome.
● Universite De Kara.
● Catholic University of West Africa.
In Benin Republic, the approved institutions are:
●Universite D’abomey-Calavi.
●Universite De Parakou.
●Universite Nationale Des Sciences, Technologis. ●Ingenierie Et Mathematiques
Universite Nationale D’ Agriculture.
●Universite Africaine De Devlopment Cooperatif.
Mamman stated that there would be no going back on the decision to cancel approximately 22,700 fake certificates issued by unapproved universities in Togo and Benin Republic.
He stressed that these fraudulent degrees tarnished Nigeria’s image, particularly those obtained through racketeering, often with the involvement of complicit government officials.
The Minister also urged both the public and private sectors in Nigeria to identify and address employees holding such fake certificates, ensuring that only those with legitimate qualifications were recognized.
