House of Reps Urges FG to Lift Blanket Ban on Benin and Togo Degrees

The House of Representatives has advised the Federal Government to reconsider its total cancellation of degree certificates issued by institutions in the Republic of Benin and Togo.

This development follows the approval of a report by the House Committee on Public Petitions on Wednesday, March 11, which addressed a formal complaint filed by Sovereignty Legal Practitioners representing various education stakeholders.

The petition contested the government’s decision to invalidate all academic credentials from these neighboring West African nations, a move originally intended to combat certificate forgery.

While acknowledging the need for security, the committee—led by Chairman Laori Kwamoti—argued that a blanket disqualification unfairly penalizes students who earned their degrees through legitimate academic effort.

Rather than a universal ban, the lawmakers proposed a more nuanced, case-by-case verification system to identify and disqualify fraudulent credentials while protecting valid ones.

Furthermore, the House suggested that the Federal Ministry of Education partner with its counterparts in Benin and Togo to establish a more robust authentication framework.

This policy debate stems from a January 2024 suspension of degree evaluations initiated after an investigative report revealed a certificate racketeering syndicate operating in the region.