Over 22,500 Nigerians Using Fake Degree Certificates From Benin, Togo, Says Education Minister

The Nigeria Ministry of Education has revealed that over 22,500 Nigerians are using fake certificates from unaccredited universities in Benin Republic and Togo between 2019 and 2023.

The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, disclosed this on Friday during a press conference in Abuja, marking his first year in office. He stated that around 21,600 of these certificates were from the unaccredited universities in Benin Republic, while about 1,105 were from Togo.

“Sadly, these people have used the fake certificates to apply and secure job opportunities in government and private organisations with the mindset that they schooled abroad, while people who studied day and night are out there looking for job opportunities,” Prof. Mamman said.

He further said some fake certificate holders never even physically attended the institutions.

The minister also noted that the actual number of fake certificates could be higher, as some people avoided participating in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, which would have enabled the ministry to fish out their credentials. The minister said the ministry had discovered some culprits with fake certificates from the NYSC records and other sources.

Mamman confirmed that the government is preparing a circular from the office of the Head of Service of the Federation to identify and prosecute those using fake certificates. He also urged private sector employers to verify the credentials of their staff, especially those with foreign degrees, from 2019 to 2023.

Nonetheless, the minister clarified that only five universities in the Benin Republic and three in Togo are accredited to offer degree programmes and that graduates from these institutions are excluded from the crackdown.

In December last year, an undercover report by a journalist with the Daily Nigerian newspaper, Umar Audu, exposed the operations of degree mills in Benin Republic and Togo. This revelation led to the Nigerian government banning the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo.

The investigative report detailed how the Nigerian reporter obtained a degree within six weeks from a degree mill in Benin Republic and even went on with the NYSC program using the fake degree certificate.

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