- The probe stemmed from an exposé by Daily Nigerian, revealing fraudulent degree mills in Benin Republic
Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, announced that security agencies will pursue individuals with fake university certificates.
This action follows the investigation into certificate racketeers by a committee appointed by the Federal Government.
The probe stemmed from an exposé by Daily Nigerian, revealing fraudulent degree mills in Benin Republic.
The report detailed how a journalist obtained a degree in six weeks and completed mandatory youth service in Nigeria. Consequently, the Nigerian government banned accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo.
The committee set up by the Federal Government was also tasked with investigating Nigerian private universities established in the last 15 years.
While speaking at the first quarterly citizens engagement in Abuja on Tuesday, the education minister, Mamman, said, “On the issue of the fake degrees, we set up a committee and we expect them to submit their reports soon. Once the report is submitted, I can assure you that individuals with fake certificates will be apprehended. They will be tracked by security agencies.”
Also speaking at the engagement, the Minister of State for Education, Dr. Tanko Sununu, noted that the quarterly citizenship engagement was aimed at creating awareness of the activities of the ministry.
He noted that the engagement would “ also promote mutual understanding with stakeholders and citizens, build and sustain public trust, and improve transparency and accountability in the sector.”
“Worthy of mention is that this engagement also aims to improve efficiency and streamline government operations by identifying and addressing bottlenecks,” Sununu said.