In response to the unveiling of fake degree milling institutions in Cotonou and Togo Republics, the Federal Government has commenced action by firing some civil servants with degrees from private tertiary institutions in Benin Republic and Togo. Accordingly, the directive is limited to only federal workers who graduated from the institutions from 2017 to date.
Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, disclosed this to newsmen yesterday in Abuja.
Recall in August, the Federal government directed that only eight universities had been accredited to award degrees to Nigerians in Togo and Benin Republic.
This was in response to an undercover investigation report in which a Daily Nigerian journalist acquired a degree from a university in Benin Republic in two months and used it to participate in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.
In response to the report, the government banned the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from tertiary institutions in Benin Republic and Togo.
More so, Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling to probe the activities of certificate racketeers was set up by the federal government to clean up the mess.
The then Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, disclosed that over 22,500 Nigerians has obtained the alleged fake degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo where he directed that such certificates were hereby cancelled.
The Minister explained that the revelation was part of a report submitted to the ministry by Federal Executive Council, FEC investigative committee instituted to query such degree certificate racketeering by foreign and local universities in Nigeria.
Mamman insisted that there was no going back on the Federal Government’s decision to cancel the those 22,500 degree certificates awarded to Nigerians by those “fake” universities in the two francophone countries.
He maintained that the decision to invalidate these certificates should not be seen as harsh decision, but a necessary evil as those who partake in the adventure dents the country’s image at the global arena.
He said, “Most of those parading the fake certificates didn’t even leave the shores of Nigeria but got their certificates through racketeering in collaboration with government officials at home and abroad.
“The fake universities capitalised on the gullibility of Nigerians patronising such fake schools. The Federal Government, through the offices of the Head of Civil Service and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, would fish out those in the government’s employment with such fake certificates. I also urge the private sector to follow suit.”
Although the exact number of affected civil servants could not be ascertained, however, it was learned 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, disclosed 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.”
Meanwhile, it was learned that the National Youth Services Corps have commenced the implementation of the directive.
Consequently, “Five members of staff were affected by the directive contained in the letter from the office of the SGF.