The Federal Government has announced that only eight universities are authorized to confer degrees upon Nigerians in Togo and the Benin Republic. Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, shared this information during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics program.

In a press conference held last Friday to commemorate his first year in office, Mamman revealed that more than 22,500 Nigerians had obtained fraudulent degree certificates from these two nations, which will be revoked.

This disclosure was part of a report presented to the Federal Executive Council by a committee tasked with investigating degree certificate fraud involving both foreign and domestic universities in Nigeria.

The minister noted that this situation arose from an undercover investigation in which a Nigerian journalist secured a degree from a university in Benin Republic in less than two months, subsequently using it to gain placement in the National Youth Service Corps.

During the program, Mamman emphasized that the federal government recognizes only three institutions in Togo and five in Benin Republic, categorizing the others as unauthorized.

He listed the following public universities as the approved institutions for Nigerian students seeking degree programs in Togo.

1. Universite De Lome

2. Universite De Kara

3. Catholic University of West Africa

The minister also provided a list of five accredited universities authorized to offer degree programs in the Republic of Benin for Nigerian students.

1. Universite D’abomey-Calavi

2. Universite De Parakou

3. Universite Nationale Des Sciences, Technologis Ingenierie Et Mathematiques

4. Universite Nationale D’ Agriculture

5. Universite Africaine De Devlopment Cooperatif

The minister emphasized that the federal government's decision to revoke approximately 22,700 certificates issued to Nigerians by certain "illegitimate" universities in neighboring Togo and Benin Republic is final and cannot be reversed.

Mamman argued that this action is not overly severe, as individuals who possess degrees from these "unauthorized" institutions tarnish the nation's reputation.

He stated, "Many individuals flaunting these fraudulent certificates never even left Nigeria; they acquired their degrees through illicit means in collusion with government officials both domestically and internationally. The so-called 'fake universities' exploited the naivety of Nigerians who enrolled in these fraudulent institutions.

The federal government, through the offices of the Head of Civil Service and the Secretary of the Federation, will identify those within government employment holding such counterfeit certificates. I also encourage the private sector to take similar measures."