The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Benin Republic has appealed for leniency in response to the Nigerian governments’ prohibition on recognising degree certificates from Benin and Togo, affecting approximately 15,000 Nigerian students in Benin.
The plea comes after a revelation by a reporter who claimed to have earned a degree from a Benin Republic university in under two months and registered for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for the second time. In response to this development, the Federal Government implemented a ban on the validation of degree certificates from these countries.
On Thursday, Ugochukwu Favour, the president of NANS Benin Republic, urged the Federal Government to consider students who were legitimately admitted. He stated, “For now, I will say that the federal government should look into the issue. Now, you can’t because it is happening in this school; punish everyone because it involved close to 15,000 students in the Benin Republic.”
Favour emphasised the need for the government to intensify investigations into the matter and take punitive measures against those involved. He revealed that NANS in the Benin Republic has formed a committee to probe the issue, expressing confidence that the findings will be crucial in preventing future occurrences.
The NANS president clarified that he hasn’t verified how long such practices have been happening and established a committee to investigate the matter. His comments followed the Federal Government’s declaration that it would pursue Nigerians with fake degree certificates.
Education Minister Tahir Mamman stated, “I have no sympathy for such people. Instead, they are part of the criminal chain that should be arrested.” He emphasised the government’s commitment to tracing individuals with fake credentials, even if the institutions have been operating for an extended period.
While the initial ban affected the accreditation and evaluation of degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo, the minister declared intentions to extend the measures to other African countries like Uganda, Kenya, and the Niger Republic, where similar institutions have been established.