To tackle degree certificate racketeering, the federal government has revealed that only eight universities in Togo and Benin Republic are accredited to award degrees to Nigerians.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme.
Mamman stated that a staggering 22,500 Nigerians have obtained fake degree certificates from the two countries, which will be cancelled, AllNews recall.
This revelation follows an undercover investigation that exposed the ease with which fake degrees can be obtained, including a case where a Nigerian journalist acquired a degree from a Benin Republic university in just two months and used it to secure a National Youth Service Corps deployment.
- Universite De Lome
- Universite De Kara
- Catholic University of West Africa
The minister also listed five accredited universities authorized to provide degree programs in Benin Republic of Benin for students from Nigeria.
- Universite D’abomey-Calavi
- Universite De Parakou
- Universite Nationale Des Sciences, Technologis Ingenierie Et Mathematiques
- Universite Nationale D’ Agriculture
- Universite Africaine De Devlopment Cooperatif
He also insisted that there is no going back on the decision of the federal government to cancel about 22,700 certificates awarded to Nigerians by some “fake” universities in neighbouring Togo and Benin Republic.
Mamman maintained that the decision to invalidate the certificates was not harsh as Nigerians who obtained degree certificates from such “illegal” tertiary institutions dent 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.”