… UK, USA, and Ghana affected
Following the revelation that a university degree can be obtained within three to four months in Benin Republic and Togo, the Federal Government has descended heavily on some institutions abroad by adding them to the list of universities it has banned or suspended.
Some of those universities banned are based in the United Kingdom, United States, and Ghana operating campuses in Nigeria.
The directive affected five universities from the United States, six from the United Kingdom, and three Ghanaian tertiary institutions.
Also, the Federal Ministry of Education on Tuesday announced the temporary suspension of evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from the Republic of Benin and Togo. The decision was sequel to an undercover investigative report titled, ‘How Daily Nigerian reporter bagged Cotonou varsity degree in 6 weeks,’ published by the Daily Nigerian newspaper The media report exposed how some officials of the Beninese University produced fake university degrees for a fee.
Announcing the ban in a statement published on its website, the National Universities Commission explained that the Federal Government had not licensed the affected universities and they had been closed down.
It stated, “The National Universities Commission wishes to announce to the general public, especially parents and prospective undergraduates that the under-listed “degree mills” have not been licensed by the Federal Government and have therefore been closed down for violating the Education (National Minimum Standards, etc.) Act of the Federation of Nigeria,2004.
The affected schools are:
- University of Applied Sciences and Management, Port Novo, Republic of Benin, or any of its other campuses in Nigeria.
- Volta University College, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana, or any of its other campuses in Nigeria.
- The International University, Missouri, USA, Kano and Lagos Study Centers; or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
- Columbus University, UK operates anywhere in Nigeria.
- Tiu International University, UK operates anywhere in Nigeria.
- Pebbles University, UK operates anywhere in Nigeria.
- London External Studies UK operates anywhere in Nigeria.
- Pilgrims University operates anywhere in Nigeria.
- West African Christian University operates anywhere in Nigeria.
- EC-Council University, USA, Ikeja Lagos Study Centre.
- Concept College/Universities (London) Ilorin or any of its campuses in Nigeria.
- Houdegbe North American University campuses in Nigeria.
- Irish University Business School London, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
- University of Education, Winneba, Ghana, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
- Cape Coast University, Ghana, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
- African University Cooperative Development, Cotonou, Benin Republic, operating anywhere in Nigeria.
- Pacific Western University, Denver, Colorado, Owerri Study Centre.
- Evangel University of America and Chudick Management Academic, Lagos.
The investigative reporter, Umar Audu, bagged a degree from the institution within six weeks and also participated in the mandatory one-year scheme organized by the National Youth Service Corps.
Audu, who reached out to the syndicate that specialises in selling degree certificates in December 2022, graduated in February 2023 and was issued a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication certificate from the Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, Cotonou, Benin Republic.
In reaction, the Federal Ministry of Education in a statement on Tuesday, decried the certificate racketeering exposed by the report and berated Nigerians who engaged in desperate methods to get a degree.
According to the statement by Augustina Obilor-Duru on behalf of the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, the suspension of the evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from the Republic of Benin and Togo would subsist pending the outcome of an investigation involving the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education of Nigeria, the two countries as well as the Department of State Security Services and the National Youths Service Corps.
The statement read, “The Federal Ministry of Education vehemently decries such acts and with effect from 2nd January 2024 is suspending evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from Benin and Togo Republics pending the outcome of an investigation that would involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and the two countries, the ministries responsible for Education in the two countries as well the Department of State Security Services and the National Youths Service Corps.
“The ministry therefore wishes to call on the general public to support its efforts, show understanding, and provide useful information that will assist the Committee in finding lasting solutions to prevent further occurrence.
“The ministry has also commenced internal administrative processes to determine the culpability or otherwise of her staff for which applicable Public Service Rules would be applied.’’
The ministry further noted that the issue of institutions that exist on paper or operate clandestinely outside the control of regulators is a global problem that all countries grapple with.
“The FME has been contending with the problem, including illegal institutions located abroad or at home preying on unsuspecting, innocent Nigerians and some desperate Nigerians who deliberately patronize such outlets.
“Periodically, warnings have been issued by the ministry and NUC against the resort to such institutions and in some instances, reports made to security agencies to clamp down on the perpetrators. The ministry will continue to review its strategy to plug any loopholes, processes, and procedures and deal decisively with any conniving officials,” it stated.
The PUNCH reports that in 2020, the NYSC said it would commence the prosecution of Nigerian graduates with fake credentials, especially from West African countries.
A former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed also in 2020 noted that certain Nigerians were purchasing fake degrees from degree mills in and out of Nigeria.
In September 2023, a newspaper exposed a certain London Graduate School selling fake honorary degrees to Nigerians.
Commenting on the development, the Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Universities at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, Prof. Gbolahan Bolarin, called for the establishment of a board to accredit foreign degrees in Nigeria.
The Professor of Mathematics also blamed the high number of fake degrees from degree mills in West African countries on the quest by Nigerians willing to cut corners in their quests to obtain degree certificates.
Speaking in an interview with our correspondent, Gbolahan said, “I think the quest for a fast way to obtaining degrees is the main motive behind this. Nigerians, especially the youths are becoming extremely impatient and they would look for all means to cut corners.
Francophone Countries Benefit From Fake Certificates Awarded To Nigerians – Ex-NUC Secretary
Suleiman Ramon-Yusuf said that Nigerians with questionable certificates from francophone countries are not victims, adding that they took the option because they find it difficult to pass UTME.
Ex-NUC Secretary Suleiman Ramon-Yusuf was a guest on Politics Today on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.
A former Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Suleiman Ramon-Yusuf, has accused Francophone West African countries of benefitting from issuing dubious degrees to Nigerians.
Ramon-Yusuf, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, was reacting to the suspension of accreditation and evaluation of degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo by the Nigerian government.
The suspension, which came after a report detailing how a degree was acquired from a university in Benin Republic in under two months, was announced by the Federal Government on Tuesday.
The ex-NUC Secretary said, “Many of these francophone countries have benefited so much from the dubious degrees they give to Nigerians and that is why Africa cannot achieve the same level of mobility that people enjoy in Europe under the Erasmus programme.”
According to him, Africa started the mobility and mutual recognition of certificates before the Europeans but has not made progress because of the education corruption in francophone countries.
‘Clear-Headed Crooks Who Failed UTME’
He maintained that Nigerians with questionable certificates from francophone countries are not victims, adding that they took that option because they find it difficult to get admitted to Nigerian universities.
“There is no victim, all those people with these certificates are clear-headed crooks who knew what they were paying for because some of them are people who cannot pass the UTME, and some do not have five O-level credits.
“So they go shopping for these bogus institutions where they get their bogus qualifications from.”
Beyond Suspension, What Next?
Ramon-Yusuf added that the Nigerian government needs to do more than suspend the certificates from these two countries, as this is not the first time the issue has come up.
“We need to do more than that because this is not the first time this matter is coming to the fore. Now, we need to do something different. Many of these francophone countries don’t have national quality assurance agencies,” he said.
He also called for the inclusion of the NUC in the committee being put together by the Federal Government to look into the matter as that was the statutory agency responsible for the quality assurance of university education in Nigeria.