The Federal Government has declared that only eight universities have been accredited to award degrees to Nigerians in Togo and Benin Republic. This announcement was made on Thursday by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman during a program on Channels Television.
Mamman had previously disclosed that over 22,500 Nigerians had obtained fake degree certificates from the two countries during a press conference last Friday to mark his one year in office. He stated that those certificates would be cancelled.
The Minister also revealed that the Ministry continues its efforts to probe degree certificate racketeering by foreign and local universities in Nigeria.
This new development follows the undercover investigative report by Umar Audu, a Nigerian Journalist who acquired a degree from a university in Benin Republic in under two months and used it to get deployed for the National Youth Service Corps.
The Minister reiterates during the program that the federal government only recognises three institutions in Togo and five in Benin Republic while identifying others as illegal institutions.
The approved institutions in Togo are:
1. Universite De Lome
2. Universite De Kara
3. Catholic University of West Africa
The five accredited universities authorized to provide degree programs in Benin Republic of Benin for students from Nigeria are:
1. Universite D’abomey-Calavi
2. Universite De Parakou
3. Universite Nationale Des Sciences, Technologis Ingenierie Et Mathematiques
4. Universite Nationale D’ Agriculture
5. Universite Africaine De Devlopment Cooperatif
While insisting that there was no withdrawal of directive on canceling about 22,700 certificates awarded to Nigerians by some “fake” universities in Togo and Benin Republic, The Minister advised that private organisations should imitate the public sectors in fishing out individuals holding fake certificates.
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.
