Nigerian Government Dismisses Togo, Benin Republic Degree Holders from MDAs

The Federal Government of Nigeria has dismissed several civil servants who obtained degrees from private tertiary institutions in Benin Republic and Togo.

The directive targets federal employees who graduated from these institutions between 2017 and the present.

Segun Imohiosen, the Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, confirmed the development on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.

Earlier this year, a Nigerian journalist conducted an undercover investigation and obtained a degree from a university in Benin Republic within just two months, using it to enroll in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program.

In response to this revelation, the Nigerian government banned the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from tertiary institutions in Benin Republic and Togo.

By August 2024, the Federal Government further clarified that only eight universities in Togo and Benin Republic had been officially accredited to award degrees to Nigerians.

The Federal Government has established an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling to address the proliferation of fraudulent degree certificates.

Former Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, disclosed that over 22,500 Nigerians had obtained fake degree certificates from institutions in Benin Republic and Togo, with plans to invalidate these certificates.

The revelation stemmed from a report presented to the Federal Executive Council by the investigative committee tasked with probing certificate racketeering involving both foreign and local universities.

Mamman affirmed the government’s firm stance on nullifying the certificates, emphasizing that there would be no reconsideration of the decision.

While the exact number of affected civil servants remains unclear, it was confirmed that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (Cabinet Affairs) issued a directive to all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to enforce the policy.

A source, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the dismissals were based on the recommendations of the inter-ministerial committee.

The official stated, “There was a letter from the SGF cabinet affairs directing all ministries, departments and agencies of government to identify and terminate the appointments of workers employed with certificates obtained from the private universities in the Republic of Benin and Togo from 2017 to date.

“The decision is part of the recommendations of the committee set up to investigate the certificates of people who graduated from the universities.”

Some government agencies, including the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), have begun implementing the Federal Government’s directive.

The NYSC Director of Information, Caroline Embu, confirmed that five staff members had been dismissed in compliance with the directive issued by the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).