…. Orders Termination of appointments of Affected Employees.
Abuja, Nigeria.
The Federal Government has declared all degree certificates issued by Cotonou University from 2017 to the present as invalid and has ordered the immediate termination of any personnel currently employed by the government who possess such certificates.
This decisive action extends to both public and private sectors, targeting employees with counterfeit degree certificates obtained from the Republics of Benin and Togo. The move comes as part of a broader crackdown on academic fraud.
Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, made this announcement during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, marking his first anniversary in office. He disclosed that these measures were approved during a recent Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu.
In his statement, the Minister revealed, “One of the issues we addressed this year was the alarming trend of some of our students obtaining certificates from neighboring countries, with some not even attending the institutions they claim. A committee was established to investigate this matter, and their findings were submitted to the FEC about a month ago. The council has since approved several recommendations from the Ministry of Education.”
The Minister emphasized that the recommendations would be implemented in collaboration with other ministries and agencies, including the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Immigration. He stated that disciplinary measures would be enforced against affected staff members, with a comprehensive review of the relevant units already underway.
Mamman highlighted the gravity of the situation, noting, “We cannot allow individuals with fake certificates to compete with graduates from our universities and polytechnics who have earned their degrees through hard work. The FEC has approved the invalidation of certificates from unrecognized institutions in Benin and Togo. According to data from the NYSC, approximately 21,684 students are parading fake certificates from Benin Republic, obtained between 2019 to 2023, and another 1,105 from Togo.”
He further explained that these institutions are not recognized in their own countries to offer degree programs, making their certificates invalid. “In Togo, only three universities are officially approved and licensed to offer degrees, and in Benin, there are about five. Anyone who attended other institutions is parading a fake certificate. From 2017, any university in these countries that solely operates in English is not approved, and attending such institutions is a waste of time,” Mamman said.
The Minister also pointed out that many of these fraudulent degree holders may not have completed the NYSC screening process or may have disappeared before being caught. As a result, the number of affected individuals may be higher than currently recorded.
To enforce this directive, the Federal Government has mandated the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to issue a circular to all employers, public and private, to identify and remove any employee with such certificates. The Head of Service has also been tasked with rooting out these individuals from public service.
“This is the Federal Government’s final decision on this matter,” Mamman concluded.
