THE Nigerian government has said it recognised certificates of only eight universities in Togo and the Benin Republic.
The Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, on Sunday, August 26, while speaking on Channels Television’s “Sunday Politics” said the federal government only recognised three universities in Togo and five in Benin Republic.
His declaration followed the growing concerns about the proliferation of unaccredited institutions awarding degrees to Nigerians in the neighbouring African countries.
The minister had on Friday, August 23, disclosed that over 22,500 Nigerians obtained fake degree certificates from Togo and Benin Republic. He vowed that the certificates would be rendered useless.
The minister revealed that between 2019 and 2023, 21,600 Nigerians obtained fake certificates from unaccredited universities in the Benin Republic, while another 1,105 got theirs from unaccredited universities in Togo.
He disclosed that his ministry sourced this information from records of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and other agencies.
Meanwhile, while speaking with Channels TV, Mamman stressed that there was no going back on the decision of the federal government to cancel about 22,700 certificates awarded to Nigerians by some of the ‘fake’ universities in the two countries.
According to him, the decision to invalidate the certificates was not harsh as Nigerians who obtained degree certificates from such ‘illegal’ tertiary institutions dented the country’s image.
He said, “Most of those parading the fake certificates didn’t even leave the shores of Nigeria but got their certificates through racketeering in collaboration with government officials at home and abroad.
“The fake universities capitalised on the gullibility of Nigerians patronising such fake schools.
“The federal government, through the offices of the Head of Civil Service and the Secretary of the Federation, would fish out those in the government’s employment with such fake certificates. I also urge the private sector to follow suit.”
Mamman listed the universities recognised by Nigeria in Togo as: Universite De Lome; Universite De Kara; and Catholic University of West Africa.
He also named five accredited universities in the Benin Republic as: Universite D’abomey-Calavi; Universite De Parakou; Universite Nationale Des Sciences, Technologis Ingenierie Et Mathematiques; Universite Nationale D’ Agriculture; and Universite Africaine De Devlopment Cooperatif.
The ICIR reported that in January 2024, the federal government suspended the accreditation and evaluation of degree certificates from the two countries.
The suspension followed a report by an online newspaper, Daily Nigerian, which exposed how a Cotonou-based university issued a degree certificate to an undercover journalist within six weeks.
The newspaper revealed how beneficiaries of these substandard certificates compete for jobs and other opportunities with hard-working graduates who undergo academic rigours for at least four years to obtain their degrees.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M