The Federal Government has revealed that no fewer than 21,600 students are in possession of fake certificates obtained from degree mills in countries such as Benin Republic and Togo.
This alarming figure was disclosed by the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, during a ministerial press briefing on his one-year achievements in the ministry, held in Abuja on Friday.
According to Prof. Mamman, Togo alone accounts for 1,105 of these fraudulent certificates. He emphasized the government’s commitment to eradicating fake degrees, both from Nigerian and foreign institutions, stating, “The federal government has directed that the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF) issue a circular to flush out anybody with fake certificates from these institutions.”
The federal government had earlier in March established an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling. This was in response to an investigative report published by Daily Nigerian, which exposed the rampant activities of fake degree mills in the Benin Republic.
Prof. Mamman further explained that only three universities in Togo are officially approved and licensed to offer degree courses, while Benin Republic has five such institutions. “In Togo, there are three universities that are officially approved and licensed to offer degree courses, and in Benin Republic, we have five institutions licensed for degree courses,” he said.
Addressing the challenges faced by tertiary institutions due to high electricity tariffs, the Minister announced that President Bola Tinubu had approved a long-term solution to power these institutions through Compressed Natural Gas (CNG).
On the issue of out-of-school children, Mamman highlighted significant progress made in the past year, with about four million children returned to school through efforts led by agencies under the ministry. “Henceforth, on an annual basis, we will be returning about four million out-of-school children back to school to address the menace,” he said.
He specifically mentioned the Almajiri Commission, established a year ago, as a key player in this effort. “In the last two weeks, through the Almajiri Commission, about 20,000 students in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have been registered to resume in the next academic session. This gesture will trickle down to other states, and we are going to see to it that our children get back to school,” Mamman added.
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The Minister also announced that a committee has been set up in collaboration with UNESCO and the World Bank to review policies related to teacher support, welfare, and development, incorporating global best practices. “By the time the government implements these policies in the next three years, the system of education would have been completely transformed,” he asserted.
In response to the recent school collapse in Jos, Prof. Mamman pledged to collaborate with the Council for the Regulation of Engineering (COREN) to inspect school facilities across the country. He emphasized that this initiative would help prevent sharp practices by building contractors, thereby ensuring the safety of students.
Finally, the Minister disclosed ongoing efforts to address the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to avert potential strike actions.
