The Nigerian Federal Government has recently taken decisive action against the use of counterfeit degree certificates obtained from the Republics of Benin and Togo.
Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, announced during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, marking his first year in office, that both public and private sector employees found possessing such fake degrees would face termination.

This policy was approved during a recent Federal Executive Council meeting, presided over by President Bola Tinubu.

“…We can’t have in our midst people who procure fake certificates and to compete with our students who graduated from our universities and polytechnics through their sweat, some spent four, five, six, or more years going out to compete with people who procure certificates right here without going anywhere, for a lot of them.

“So what the FEC now approves is that, through the data, that NYSC has, about 21,684 students that are parading fake certificates from Benin Republic, obtained between 2019 to 2023.

“Togo is about 1,105. How did that happen? They simply attend schools, which are not recognised in those countries.

Instead, some of our parents, take their wards to these institutions, and of course there is no way we would recognise qualifications which are not recognised in those countries.

“In the case of Togo, we have three universities that are officially approved and licensed to offer degrees, and in Benin, there are about five of them.
“So anyone who didn’t attend these universities is parading a fake certificate.”

The Head of Service, has been mandated to fish out from the public service anybody who is parading certificate from these institutions.