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The Nigerian government has suspended the evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from universities in neighbouring Benin and Togo.
The Federal Ministry of Education disclosed this in a statement Tuesday morning.
The announcement comes a few days after an undercover report by a newspaper which exposed certificate racketeering from a university in Benin.
Augustina Obilor-Duru who signed the statement on behalf of the Director of Press and Public Relations of the education ministry, said the decision followed the report by Daily Nigerian.
“This report lends credence to suspicions that some Nigerians deploy nefarious means and unconscionable methods to get a Degree with the end objective of getting graduate job opportunities for which they are not qualified.
The suspension, according to the ministry, stands pending the outcome of an investigation involving the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education of Nigeria and the two countries as well as the State Security Service (SSS) and the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC).
“The issue of degree mills institutions, i.e. institutions that exist on paper or operate in clandestine manner outside the control of regulators is a global problem that all countries grapple with.
“FME has been contending with the problem including illegal institutions located abroad or at home preying on unsuspecting, innocent Nigerians and some desperate Nigerians who deliberately patronize such outlets. Periodically, warnings have been issued by the Ministry and NUC against the resort to such institutions and in some instances, reports made to security agencies to clamp down on the perpetrators.
“The ministry will continue to review its strategy to plug any loopholes, processes and procedures and deal decisively with any conniving officials.”
Posing as a desperate student, a Daily Nigerian reporter obtained a degree certificate in Mass Communication from ESGT, a Benin university in Cotonou, established in 2009.
The reporter obtained the degree in six weeks without attending any classes or writing an examination.
He also applied for and was registered to participate in the one-year mandatory NYSC scheme with the certificate despite undergoing the NYSC some years ago.
Although the NYSC said there is no way its biometric checks could be manipulated to allow the same person to undergo service twice, the reporter explained he only had to change his phone number and email address used during his service year.
