The federal government has declared all degree certificates from Cotonou University, issued between 2017 and the present, invalid. Consequently, all personnel employed by the federal government holding these degrees are to be immediately terminated.
In a press conference held in Abuja on Friday, marking his first anniversary in office, Minister of Education Tahir Mamman announced that the federal executive council, presided over by President Bola Tinubu, approved these actions. The decision extends to the termination of employees in both the public and private sectors who possess counterfeit degree certificates obtained from the Republics of Benin and Togo.
Mamman revealed that the ministry had set up a committee to investigate the issue of fake certificates being acquired from neighboring countries. The committee’s findings were reviewed and sanctioned by the federal executive council about a month ago, leading to the current crackdown.
He emphasized that the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and Immigration are among the agencies involved in implementing these decisions. The government has identified 21,684 fake certificates from Benin Republic issued between 2019 and 2023, along with 1,105 from Togo.
Mamman further explained that many of these institutions are not recognized in their own countries, and degrees issued by them are invalid. As a result, any degrees from universities in Benin and Togo that are not officially recognized will not be acknowledged by the Nigerian government.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) has been tasked with issuing a circular to all employers, both public and private, to identify and remove any employees with these invalid certificates. The Head of Service has also been directed to purge the public service of individuals holding such degrees.
This move aims to protect the integrity of Nigeria’s education system and ensure that only valid, recognized qualifications are respected in the country.
