The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, revealed on Friday that over 22,500 Nigerians are currently using fake certificates obtained from Benin Republic and Togo between 2019 and 2023. He stated that more than 21,600 of these certificates were acquired from unaccredited universities in Benin Republic during this period, while approximately 1,105 were obtained from unaccredited universities in Togo.
The Minister shared this information during a press conference in Abuja, marking his first year in office, and noted that some of these figures were sourced from records held by the National Youth Service Corps and other agencies.
He said, “From all indications, the figure is higher than what we have already. This is because some of the people choose not to participate in the mandatory NYSC scheme and other engagements that would have enabled us to harvest their data.
“Sadly, these people have used the fake certificates to apply and secure job opportunities in government and private organizations with the mindset that they schooled abroad, while people who studied day and night are out there looking for job opportunities.
“Even within the countries, Benin and Togo, these universities are not accredited to offer degree programmes. I don’t know how Nigerians chose to go to unaccredited institutions abroad to ‘study’. Our investigations also indicated that many of the people never even attended the school physically.”
The Minister confirmed that a circular is being prepared from the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation to identify and prosecute these individuals.
“Private sector operators are also encouraged to carry out further investigations on their staff who are parading foreign certificates and ensure that anyone parading a certificate obtained from these countries between 2019 and 2023 is fished out and handed over to the Federal Ministry of Education for prosecution. Because the circular from the Head of Service will also be binding on private sector operators.”
He also noted that only five universities in Benin and three in Togo are accredited to offer degree programmes, and those who graduated from these institutions will be exempt from punitive measures.
Meanwhile, the Minister disclosed that approximately four million out-of-school children have been brought back to classrooms through various programs, primarily led by the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children.
He added, “Our target is to see about 3 to 4 million children leave the streets and return to school annually, and if that is successfully achieved, then by the end of the administration, significant achievements would have been made as regards the out-of-school children.”
The issue of degree mills in Nigeria resurfaced following an investigative report by Umar Audu, a reporter with the Daily Nigerian newspaper, who exposed the activities of degree mills in Benin Republic and Togo. The reporter detailed how he obtained a degree within six weeks and even participated in the mandatory youth service under the National Youth Service Corps scheme.
Audu, who contacted the syndicate specializing in selling degree certificates in December 2022, graduated in February 2023 and received a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication from the Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, Cotonou, Benin Republic.
The report, which uncovered illegal activities by some tertiary institutions in the West African states, prompted the Nigerian government to ban the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo.
Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, after receiving the report of the Committee, emphasized that holders of fake degrees from Nigerian and foreign universities will be removed from the system.
Some of the committee’s recommendations included the need for universities in the country to conduct their admissions through the Central Admissions Processing System, commonly known as CAPS, and the mandatory submission of matriculation lists.
