The Federal Ministry of Education has taken a decisive step in response to reports of fraudulent acquisition of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo.
The government has suspended the accreditation of degree certificates from these countries following alleged unscrupulous methods employed by some Nigerians to obtain qualifications with the aim of securing jobs they are not qualified for.
This suspension, effective from January 2, 2024, was announced by Augustina Obilor-Duru on behalf of the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Federal Ministry of Education.
The move comes in light of an investigative report by the Daily Nigerian Newspaper titled “How Daily Nigerian reporter bagged Cotonou varsity degree in 6 weeks.”
The government has initiated a comprehensive investigation involving the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education, as well as the Department of State Security Services and the National Youths Service Corps, in collaboration with the respective authorities of Benin and Togo. The aim is to ascertain the validity of degree certificates obtained from these countries and address the issue of fraudulent qualifications.
The Ministry urges the public to provide relevant information to aid the investigation while emphasizing the global challenge posed by degree mills—illegitimate institutions operating beyond regulatory control. The Federal Ministry of Education vows to intensify efforts to curb this menace, employing necessary measures to prevent future occurrences.
Furthermore, the Ministry has commenced internal administrative procedures to determine the involvement of its staff members in this matter, with due application of the appropriate Public Service Rules.
This action follows previous warnings issued by the Ministry and the National Universities Commission (NUC) against the patronage of illegal institutions, both within and outside Nigeria. The government remains resolute in its commitment to reviewing strategies, procedures, and regulations to combat this issue effectively.
In related events from 2020 to 2023, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) had announced plans to prosecute graduates found with fake credentials, particularly from West African countries. Additionally, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed, the former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, highlighted the prevalence of Nigerians purchasing fake degrees from various institutions, both domestic and foreign. A separate expose in September 2023 revealed the sale of counterfeit honorary degrees to Nigerians by a London Graduate School.
