Nigerian government fires Togo, Benin Republic degree holders from MDAs

The Federal Government of Nigeria has fired some civil servants who got their degrees from private tertiary institutions in Benin Republic and Togo. 

The directive affected federal workers who graduated from the institutions from 2017 to date, Punch reports. 

The Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, confirmed the development to the publication on Wednesday, Dec. 4. 

Recall that earlier this year, a Nigerian journalist went undercover and acquired a degree from a university in Benin Republic in two months, which he then used to participate in the National Youth Service Corps scheme. 

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

Subsequently, in August, the Federal Government announced that only eight universities had been accredited to award degrees to Nigerians in Togo and Benin Republic. 

The Federal Government also set up an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling to probe the activities of certificate racketeers. 

The then Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, revealed that over 22,500 Nigerians obtained fake degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo and such certificates would be cancelled. 

Mamman explained that the revelation was part of a report submitted to the Federal Executive Council by the investigative committee instituted to probe degree certificate racketeering by foreign and local universities in Nigeria. 

He insisted there was no going back on the Federal Government’s decision to cancel the about 22,500 certificates awarded to Nigerians by some “fake” universities in the two francophone countries. 

Although the exact number of affected civil servants could not be ascertained, it was gathered that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (Cabinet Affairs) had issued a memo to all the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to implement the order. 

A source, who pleaded anonymity, told Punch that the sacking of the affected workers was based on the inter-ministerial committee’s recommendation. 

The official stated, “There was a letter from the SGF cabinet affairs directing all ministries, departments and agencies of government to identify and terminate the appointments of workers employed with certificates obtained from the private universities in the Republic of Benin and Togo from 2017 to date. 

 “The decision is part of the recommendations of the committee set up to investigate the certificates of people who graduated from the universities.” 

Some agencies like the National Youth Services Corps have commenced the implementation of the directive. 

The NYSC Director of Information, Caroline Embu, confirmed that five members of staff had been sacked in line with the SGF’s directive. 

She said, “Five members of staff were affected by the directive contained in the letter from the office of the SGF. No more.”