The Federal Government has announced that only eight universities in Togo and Benin Republic have been accredited to award degrees to Nigerians.
Education Minister Tahir Mamman revealed this during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.
He previously mentioned in a press conference, marking his one year in office, that over 22,500 Nigerians had obtained fake degree certificates from these two countries, and those certificates would be revoked.
Mamman explained that this revelation came from a report submitted to the Federal Executive Council by a committee tasked with investigating degree certificate fraud involving both foreign and local universities in Nigeria.
He also referenced an undercover investigation in which a Nigerian journalist obtained a degree from a Benin Republic university in less than two months and used it to qualify for the National Youth Service Corps, highlighting the severity of the issue.
During the program, the minister clarified that the federal government only recognizes three institutions in Togo and five in Benin Republic as legitimate, while identifying others as illegal.
Mamman provided a list of the federally approved universities in Togo where Nigerians can pursue degrees:
1. Université de Lomé
2. Université de Kara
3. Catholic University of West Africa
He also listed the five accredited universities in Benin Republic:
1. Université d’Abomey-Calavi
2. Université de Parakou
3. Université Nationale des Sciences, Technologies, Ingénierie et Mathématiques
4. Université Nationale d’Agriculture
5. Université Africaine de Développement Coopératif
The minister emphasized that there will be no reversal of the government’s decision to cancel around 22,700 certificates issued by some “fake” universities in Togo and Benin Republic.
Mamman argued that the move is justified, as those who obtained degrees from these “illegal” institutions damage Nigeria’s reputation.
He added that many of these individuals never left Nigeria but obtained their certificates through fraudulent means, often in collaboration with officials at home and abroad.
He urged the federal government, through the offices of the Head of Civil Service and the Secretary of the Federation, to identify and remove those in government employment with fake certificates and encouraged the private sector to do the same.
