The Nigerian government has declared that degree certificates from Cotonou University in Benin Republic, issued between 2017 and present, will be considered invalid.
This move comes as part of a broader effort to tackle the proliferation of fake degrees in the country.
Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, announced the decision during a press conference in Abuja, stating, “We can’t have in our midst people who procure fake certificates and compete with our students who graduated from our universities and polytechnics through their sweat.”
According to Mamman, data from the NYSC reveals that 21,684 students possess fake certificates from Benin Republic, obtained between 2019 and 2023. Similarly, 1,105 fake certificates were discovered from Togo.
The federal government has authorized the termination of appointments of employees with fake degrees. A circular will be issued to all employers, public and private, to identify and dismiss individuals with certificates from unapproved institutions.
The move follows an undercover investigation by a Nigerian journalist, who exposed the ease of obtaining a fake degree from a Benin Republic institution for N600,000 in just two months.
