Nigeria Nullifies Degree Certificates from Benin Republic and Togo

The federal government has revealed that over 22,700 Nigerians obtained fraudulent degree certificates from institutions in Benin Republic and Togo.

Education Minister Tahir Mamman made this announcement during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, marking his one year in office.

In January 2024, the government launched a committee to investigate private universities established in the past 15 years. The committee, led by Jibrin Amin, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, was also tasked with examining the issue of degree certificate racketeering by both foreign and local universities in Nigeria.

According to Mamman, the committee presented its findings to the federal executive council (FEC) in July, recommending reforms. He disclosed that between 2019 and 2023, approximately 22,789 Nigerians were found to have obtained fake degrees from Benin Republic and Togo.

“We have had to take some major decisions here (at the ministry of education).

Some staff members who were affected faced disciplinary measures. That whole unit had to undergo a review,” the minister said.

“We cannot have in our midst people who procured fake certificates competing with students who graduated from universities and polytechnics through their sweat, some spending four, five, six or more years.

“They cannot be going out to compete with people who procured certificates right here in Nigeria without going anywhere.

“Through the data the NYSC has, about 21,684 students are parading fake certificates from Benin Republic obtained between 2019 to 2023, Togo about 1,105. They simply attended schools that are not recognized to offer degree programmes by those countries.”

In late 2023, an investigative report uncovered a thriving certificate racketeering network operating in Benin Republic and Togo, specializing in selling university degrees to Nigerians.

During the investigation, a journalist managed to obtain a backdated university degree from Cotonou within six weeks, all without ever leaving Nigeria.

Using the counterfeit degree, the reporter successfully enrolled in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program without raising any suspicion.

The investigation further revealed how racketeering agents in Nigeria collaborate with the administrators of illegal university campuses in Cotonou to facilitate this fraudulent scheme.