Abuja, Nigeria – The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, disclosed on Friday that more than 22,500 Nigerians have been found to possess fake certificates obtained from unaccredited universities in Benin Republic and Togo between 2019 and 2023. The Minister shared these alarming figures during a press conference in Abuja marking his first year in office.
According to Prof. Mamman, over 21,600 of these fake certificates were issued by unaccredited institutions in Benin Republic, while around 1,105 were acquired from similar institutions in Togo. These numbers were gathered from records of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and other sources. However, he cautioned that the actual number could be even higher, as some individuals have avoided the mandatory NYSC scheme and other processes that would have exposed their fraudulent credentials.
“From all indications, the figure is higher than what we have already. This is because some of the people choose not to participate in the mandatory NYSC scheme and other engagements that would have enabled us to harvest their data,” Prof. Mamman stated.
He expressed concern that these individuals have used fake certificates to secure jobs in both government and private sectors, while those who genuinely earned their degrees continue to struggle for employment opportunities. Prof. Mamman further revealed that many of the fake certificate holders never physically attended the institutions they claim to have graduated from.
“Even within the countries, Benin and Togo, these universities are not accredited to offer degree programs. I don’t know how Nigerians chose to go to unaccredited institutions abroad to ‘study’. Our investigations also indicated that many of the people never even attended the school physically,” he added.
To address this issue, Prof. Mamman announced that a circular is being prepared by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation to identify and prosecute those holding fake certificates. The directive will also apply to the private sector, urging employers to verify the authenticity of foreign certificates obtained between 2019 and 2023 and hand over fraudulent cases to the Federal Ministry of Education for prosecution.
Prof. Mamman clarified that only five universities in Benin Republic and three in Togo are accredited to offer degree programs. Graduates from these accredited institutions are exempt from the punitive measures.
In addition to cracking down on fake certificates, the Minister highlighted the government’s efforts to tackle the issue of out-of-school children in Nigeria. He reported that about four million children have been successfully returned to the classroom through various programs, largely led by the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children. The government aims to see three to four million children return to school annually, with the hope of making significant progress by the end of the current administration.
This revelation comes on the heels of an investigative report by Umar Audu of the Daily Nigerian newspaper, which exposed the activities of degree mills in Benin Republic and Togo. Audu’s investigation, which included obtaining a degree within six weeks and enrolling in the NYSC scheme, led the Nigerian government to ban the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from these countries.
Prof. Mamman reiterated the government’s commitment to rooting out fake degree holders, both from Nigerian and foreign universities, emphasizing the need for stricter admissions processes and the mandatory submission of matriculation lists by universities in the country.
