The Nigerian Federal Government has dismissed civil servants with degrees from unaccredited private universities in Benin and Togo. This decision follows an investigation revealing widespread certificate racketeering. Over 22,500 degrees were found to be fake, prompting the government to issue terminations across various ministries and agencies.
The Nigerian Federal Government has dismissed civil servants who graduated from private universities in Benin Republic and Togo, affecting those who obtained degrees between 2017 and 2024. The decision follows an investigation that revealed a significant number of Nigerians were obtaining degrees through fraudulent means at unaccredited institutions in these countries.
In August, the government announced that only eight universities in Togo and Benin Republic were accredited to award degrees to Nigerians. This decision followed a report by Daily Nigerian, which revealed how a journalist was able to acquire a degree from a Beninese institution in just two months and use it to gain access to Nigeria's National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program. In response, the government banned the recognition of degrees from certain universities in these countries.
An Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee was formed to probe certificate racketeering, which identified over 22,500 fake degree certificates awarded to Nigerians. As part of the crackdown, government officials have ordered the dismissal of employees holding such certificates. The Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) has issued a memo to all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to terminate the appointments of workers with unaccredited degrees.
The move is seen as an effort to preserve the integrity of the country’s educational and employment standards, with the Ministry of Education emphasizing that such fraudulent practices damage Nigeria’s reputation on the global stage. Some MDAs, including the NYSC, have already begun implementing the directive, with five staff members at the NYSC confirmed to have been dismissed.
The government has urged both public and private sectors to align with this directive to prevent further exploitation of Nigeria’s educational system.
