KEY POINTS

• Nigerian government fires civil servants with unaccredited degrees.
• Over 22,500 Nigerians are said to hold fake degrees from Togo and Benin.
• NYSC has already dismissed five staff members following the directive.

The Nigerian government has terminated the appointments of civil servants who obtained their degrees from private universities in Benin Republic and Togo.

This decision, which affects federal workers who graduated from these institutions between 2017 and now, was confirmed on December 4 by the Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen.

Government takes action against unaccredited degrees

In August 2024, the government took a significant step by announcing that only eight universities in Benin Republic and Togo were accredited to award degrees to Nigerians.

This move followed an undercover investigation that revealed the ease with which a journalist obtained a degree from a Benin Republic university in just two months.

The journalist used the degree to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme, raising concerns about the authenticity of academic qualifications from these countries.

An investigation uncovers widespread certificate racketeering

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

The federal government also set up an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee to probe the activities of certificate racketeers.

Former Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, disclosed that more than 22,500 Nigerians had obtained fake degree certificates from universities in these countries.

Mamman emphasized that the government would invalidate these certificates, as they tarnished Nigeria’s image.

The government also promised to identify civil servants who had obtained these fake qualifications, with an emphasis on holding them accountable.

The directive to fire workers with questionable degrees stems from the committee’s findings, and an official letter from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) was sent to all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

According to Punch, the letter instructed these organizations to identify and dismiss employees holding degrees from the unaccredited institutions.

Implementation begins with NYSC and other MDAs

The implementation of this directive is already underway.

The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has confirmed that five of its staff members were dismissed due to the SGF’s order. NYSC Director of Information, Caroline Embu, confirmed this in a statement, noting that no additional staff had been affected so far.

Meanwhile, other MDAs are also working on identifying and removing employees who graduated from unaccredited institutions in Benin Republic and Togo.