The Federal Government of Nigeria’s recent decision to invalidate degrees from universities in the Republic of Benin and Togo has sparked concerns about potential diplomatic fallout, particularly if these countries retaliate against Nigerian students.
Education for Accelerated Development (EDAD) has appealed to the government to reconsider its stance, arguing that the move undermines regional diplomacy and unfairly penalizes legitimate institutions. This appeal follows an announcement by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, revealing that at least 21,600 graduates are holding fake certificates from degree mills in Benin, Togo, and other neighboring countries. Specifically, 1,105 of these students were found with fake certificates from Togo alone.
In response to this revelation, the government invalidated these certificates and only recognized eight universities in Benin and Togo. However, Dr. Livinus Mbaonu, Lead Consultant of EDAD, criticized the decision as “hasty and poorly thought out,” noting that the federal government had previously accredited over 50 universities in these countries. Mbaonu argued that branding these institutions as “fake” due to the misconduct of a few undermines regional integration efforts.
EDAD also emphasized the psychological impact on graduates whose degrees have been invalidated and proposed that the government consider administering aptitude tests to assess their competence instead of disqualifying them from employment opportunities.