The Federal Government has announced that only eight universities in Togo and Benin Republic are accredited to award degrees to Nigerians.
This revelation was made by Minister of Education Tahir Mamman during his appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
Mamman disclosed that over 22,500 Nigerians had obtained fraudulent degree certificates from these countries, and these certificates would be revoked. The decision followed a report submitted to the Federal Executive Council by a committee investigating degree certificate fraud involving both local and foreign universities.
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The announcement comes after an undercover investigation where a Nigerian journalist obtained a degree from a university in Benin Republic in under two months and used it for National Youth Service Corps deployment.
The Federal Government officially recognizes three universities in Togo and five in Benin Republic for awarding degrees to Nigerian students. The accredited institutions are:
In Togo:
- Université De Lomé
- Université De Kara
- Catholic University of West Africa
In Benin Republic:
- Université D’Abomey-Calavi
- Université De Parakou
- Université Nationale Des Sciences, Technologie, Ingénierie Et Mathématiques
- Université Nationale D’Agriculture
- Université Africaine De Développement Coopératif
Mamman stressed that the cancellation of approximately 22,700 certificates from “fake” universities is final and essential for protecting the country’s reputation. He pointed out that many individuals with these fraudulent certificates never left Nigeria but acquired them through racketeering with the assistance of officials both domestically and abroad.
“The ‘fake universities’ exploited the gullibility of Nigerians seeking these fraudulent certificates,” Mamman said. He urged the Head of Civil Service and the Secretary of the Federation to identify government employees with fake certificates and called on the private sector to take similar actions.
Mamman emphasized that the government’s decision is designed to uphold educational standards and prevent further damage to the value of Nigerian qualifications. He reassured the public that measures are being put in place to prevent future fraud and to hold accountable those involved in the illegal issuance of degrees.
