Nigeria announces an extension of the suspension of degree accreditation to additional countries, including Kenya and Uganda, following the recent suspension of accreditation for degrees from Benin and Togo.
Education Minister Tahir Mamman emphasized during an interview on Nigeria’s Channels Television channel, “We are not going to stop at just Benin and Togo. We are going to extend the dragnet to countries like Uganda, Kenya, even Niger here where such institutions have been set up.”
The decision aims to curb fraudulent qualifications from foreign degree mills, prompted by revelations from an exposé by the Daily Nigerian newspaper. In an undercover investigation, reporter Umar Audu exposed obtaining a degree for a four-year program from a Benin university in under two months.
Minister Mamman expressed no sympathy for those holding fake certificates from foreign countries, asserting that they are not victims but “part of the criminal chain that should be arrested.”
Nigeria has initiated a formal investigation into the ministries and agencies responsible for accrediting academic qualifications obtained abroad. Minister Mamman stated that this measure is intended to safeguard Nigeria’s employers and preserve the integrity of the country’s qualifications.
