The Federal Government has declared that all degree certificates issued by Cotonou University between 2017 and the present will be rendered invalid, and any personnel currently employed by the Federal Government holding such certificates are to be terminated immediately.
In a broader crackdown, the government has also authorized the termination of employees in both the public and private sectors who hold counterfeit degree certificates obtained from the Republics of Benin and Togo.
This decision was revealed by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, during a press conference in Abuja on Friday, marking his first year in office. He explained that these measures were approved during a recent Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by President Bola Tinubu.
Mamman stated, "Earlier this year, information emerged about some of our students obtaining certificates from neighboring countries—or in some cases, not attending at all. The ministry established a committee to investigate, which conducted a thorough review and presented its findings to the FEC about a month ago. Some of the committee's recommendations were approved and will now be implemented in coordination with other ministries and agencies, including the NYSC and Immigration.
"We have taken significant steps because we cannot allow individuals with fake certificates to compete with our students who have earned their degrees through hard work, spending four, five, or six years in our universities and polytechnics. It is unfair for those who have fraudulently obtained certificates without attending any institution to be on the same footing as genuine graduates."
He further disclosed that the FEC has identified around 21,684 students holding fake certificates from the Republic of Benin, obtained between 2019 and 2023, and approximately 1,105 from Togo. Many of these individuals attended unrecognized institutions in these countries. He emphasized that these institutions are not authorized to offer degree programs, and therefore, their qualifications are not recognized by the government.
"In Togo, only three universities are officially approved to offer degrees, and in Benin, there are about five. Anyone who did not attend these universities is holding a fake certificate," Mamman explained. "From 2017 onward, any university in these countries offering programs solely in English is not approved, and any certificate issued by such institutions is invalid."
He also noted that some individuals did not even attempt to go through the NYSC screening process, while others disappeared after failing the screening.
Finally, Mamman stated, "The Federal Government has mandated the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to issue a circular to all employers, public and private, to identify and remove anyone with a certificate from these unrecognized institutions. The Head of Service has also been tasked with identifying such individuals within the public service."
This is the decisive stance of the Federal Government on the issue.
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