Mass Sack Looms As FG Nullifies Over 21,000 Degrees From Cotonou Universities
Following the approval of the recommendations of a dedicated committee mandated to investigate the proliferation of fraudulent certificates from neigbouring countries by the Ministry of Education, by President Bola Tinubu led Federal Executive Council Decision, Nigeria has taken an enforcement action to invalidate all degree certificates issued by Cotonou Universities from 2017 to date, of which, any federal employees who hold these degrees are now subject to immediate dismissal.
By: Abdulwasiu Akintunde
The Federal Government has officially invalidated all degree certificates issued by Cotonou University from 2017 to date, consequent upon which, any federal employees who hold these degrees are now subject to immediate dismissal.
At a press conference in Abuja on Friday, which coincided with his first anniversary in office, Minister of Education Tahir Mamman detailed the federal executive council's decision.
As gathered by OPEN TELEVISION Naija (OTN) News, this decision was approved by President Bola Tinubu, not only to impacts federal employees but also extends to individuals in the private sector who hold counterfeit degrees obtained from the Republics of Benin and Togo.
Mamman disclosed that the Ministry of Education had established a dedicated committee to investigate the proliferation of fraudulent certificates from neighboring countries.
The committee's findings, reviewed and approved by the federal executive council approximately a month ago, have led to the current enforcement actions.
The Minister highlighted that agencies such as the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and the Immigration Department are actively involved in enforcing these new directives.
The Government has identified a total of 21,684 counterfeit certificates from Benin Republic issued between 2019 and 2023, in addition to 1,105 from Togo.
Mamman also noted that many of these Institutions lack recognition in their own countries, rendering the degrees they issue invalid. Consequently, 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 instructed to circulate a notice to all employers, both in the public and private sectors, to identify and dismiss employees holding these invalid degrees.
Additionally, the Head of Service has been directed to remove individuals with such degrees from the public service.
This initiative is designed to uphold the integrity of Nigeria's education system and ensure that only officially recognized qualifications are considered valid within the country.
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