REPS URGE FG TO RESCIND BLANKET BAN ON DEGREES FROM BENIN REPUBLIC, TOGO
GREATRIBUNETVNEWS–THE House of Representatives is calling on the Federal Government to reconsider its decision to invalidate degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo, citing concerns over blanket sanctions .
Key Issues:
– _”The House urged the Federal Government to adopt a case-by-case verification mechanism to address confirmed instances of fraud, rather than imposing a blanket sanction.”_ – House of Representatives
– Verification Frameworks: The Federal Ministry of Education should work with Benin and Togo authorities to strengthen verification frameworks and curb academic fraud.
– _”The Federal Ministry of Education vehemently decries such acts and, with effect from 2nd January 2024, is suspending evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from Benin and Togo pending the outcome of an investigation.”_ – Federal Ministry of Education
– Public Awareness: The government should educate Nigerians on verifying accreditation status of foreign institutions and obtaining homologation or equivalence certification.
– _”Nigerian students in Benin Republic have suffered long enough due to this unfair pronouncement.”_ – Chairman, House Committee on Public Petitions
Background of the Ban
In January 2024, the Nigerian government suspended the accreditation and evaluation of degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo.
This followed a report detailing how a degree was acquired from a university in Benin Republic in under two months.
“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,” said the Ministry of Education spokesperson, Augustina Obilor-Duru, in a statement.
“The Federal Ministry of Education vehemently decries such acts and, with effect from 2nd January 2024, is suspending evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from Benin and Togo pending the outcome of an investigation that would involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, the ministries responsible for education in the two countries, the Department of State Security Services (DSS), and the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).”
The ministry also called on Nigerians to assist by providing information to help the committee find lasting solutions to prevent future occurrences.
“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,” the statement added.
Defence of the Ban
The then Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, defended the decision, saying that Nigerians who obtained degree certificates from such “illegal” tertiary institutions were denting Nigeria’s image.
Appearing on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, he said the measure to invalidate degrees from illegal universities in Benin Republic and Togo was not harsh, as authorities in the neighbouring Francophone West African countries also judged the concerned schools as fake.
The move followed a 2023 undercover investigation by a journalist, which detailed how he acquired a jdegree from a university in Benin Republic in under two months and was even deployed for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC
SOURCE ==CHANNEL TV==EXCEPT THE HEADLINE AND INTRO PLUS A FEW PARAGRAPHS
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