IN the aftermath of the suspension of accreditation and evaluation of degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo, the Nigerian Government has disclosed that the sanction would be extended to more countries, including Uganda, Kenya and Niger Republic.
According to the Minister of Education, Dr. Tahir Mamman: “We are not going to stop at just Benin and Togo; we are going to extend the dragnet to countries, like Uganda, Kenya, even Niger, where such institutions have been set up.”
This followed the report of an undercover journalist detailing how he acquired a degree from a university in Benin Republic under two months and participated in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
The Federal Government immediately suspended accreditation of certificates from the two francophone West African nations and launched an investigation into the scandal, which the minister said would submit its report in three months.
The minister, speaking on a television programme on Wednesday, January 3, said students who patronise such institutions were not victims, but criminals, adding: “I have no sympathy for such people; instead, they are part of the criminal chain that should be arrested.”
He added that security agents would go after those with fake certificates from foreign countries already using them to secure opportunities in Nigeria.
On the issue of student loan, the minister said, “The President has given his word that it will be operational from this quarter and the committee is working very hard to ensure that the president’s word is implemented.”
