Citing doubts about the legitimacy of degrees granted by universities in these nations, Segun Imohiosen, Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, confirmed the news on Wednesday, according to Punch.

The government’s declaration in August 2024 that just eight universities in Togo and the Benin Republic were accredited to grant degrees to Nigerians was followed by the decree.

Following a Daily Nigerian undercover investigation that revealed how a journalist obtained a degree from a Benin Republic university in just two months and utilized it to enlist in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) program, the decision was made.

The government of both countries outlawed the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from postsecondary schools in reaction to the disclosures.

To look into certificate racketeering, an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling was also formed.

More than 22,500 Nigerians received phony degrees from colleges in the two francophone nations, according to Tahir Mamman, the country’s then-education minister.

Mamman added that the committee’s findings, which described how local and international universities enabled certificate racketeering and compromised the integrity of Nigeria’s educational system, had been examined by the Federal Executive Council.

He claimed that the majority of those displaying the phony certificates obtained them through racketeering in cooperation with both domestic and foreign government authorities, without ever leaving Nigeria’s borders.

The fraudulent universities profited from Nigerians’ gullibility in choosing to attend these phony institutions. Those employed by the government with such forged certificates would be weeded out by the Federal Government through the offices of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Head of Civil Service. Additionally, I implore the private sector to do the same.

It was learned that the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (Cabinet Affairs) had sent a memo to all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to enforce the order, even though it was impossible to determine the precise number of impacted civil personnel.

According to a source who requested anonymity because she lacked the authority to discuss the issue, the fired employees were fired because on the inter-ministerial committee’s recommendation.

“All ministries, departments, and agencies of government were directed in a letter from the SGF cabinet affairs 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 official said.

“The decision is in line with the committee’s recommendations, which were established to look into the certificates of university graduates.”

Punch also learned that some organizations, such as the National Youth Services Corps, have started putting the directive into practice.

Our correspondent was informed by Caroline Embu, the NYSC Director of Information, that five employees had been fired in accordance with the SGF’s order.

“The directive contained in the letter from the office of the SGF affected five staff members,” she stated. Not any more.