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Breaking: FG suspends accreditation of degree certificates from Benin Republic, Togo
The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Education on Tuesday announced the suspension of accreditation of degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo.
According to a statement on Tuesday signed by Augustina Obilor-Duru on behalf of the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, the government lamented that “some Nigerians deploy nefarious means and unconscionable methods to get a Degree with the end objective of getting graduate job opportunities for which they are not qualified”.
It followed an investigative report by Daily Nigerian Newspaper titled “How Daily Nigerian reporter bagged Cotonou varsity degree in 6 weeks”.
According to the government, the suspension persists pending the outcome of an investigation involving the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education of Nigeria and the two countries as well as the Department of State Security Services and the National Youths Service Corps.
The statement reads, “ The Federal Ministry of Education vehemently decries such acts and with effect from 2nd January 2024 is suspending evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from Benin and Togo Republics pending the outcome of an investigation that would involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and the two countries, the ministries responsible for Education in the two countries as well the Department of State Security Services and the National Youths Service Corps.
“The Ministry therefore wish to call on the General Public to support its efforts, show understanding and provide useful information that will assist the Committee in finding lasting solutions in order to prevent further occurrence.
“The Ministry has also commenced internal administrative processes to determine the culpability or otherwise of her staff for which applicable Public Service Rules would be applied.
“The issue of degree mills institutions, i.e institutions that exist on paper or operate in clandestine manner outside the control of regulators is a global problem that all countries grapple with. FME has been contending with the problem including illegal institutions located abroad or at home preying on unsuspecting, innocent Nigerians and some desperate Nigerians who deliberately patronize such outlets. Periodically, warnings have been issued by the Ministry and NUC against the resort to such institutions and in some instances, reports made to security agencies to clamp down on the perpetrators. The ministry will continue to review its strategy to plug any loopholes, processes and procedures and deal decisively with any conniving officials.”
In 2020, the NYSC said it would commence the prosecution of Nigerian graduates with fake credentials, especially from West African countries.
A former Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, Prof. Abubakar Rasheed also in 2020 noted that certain Nigerians were purchasing fake degrees from degree mills in and out of Nigeria.
In September 2023, a newspaper exposed a certain London Graduate School selling fake honorary degrees to Nigerians.
See Press Release bellow:
Press Release
SUSPENSION OF EVALUATION AND ACCREDITATION OF DEGREE CERTIFICATES FROM THE BENIN AND TOGO REPUBLICS.
The attention of the Federal Ministry of Education has been drawn to the commendable work of investigative journalism that led to the publication by the Daily Nigerian Newspaper dated 30th December 2023 titled “UNDERCOVER: How DAILY NIGERIAN reporter bagged Cotonou varsity degree in 6 weeks, participated in NYSC scheme”. This was also carried in various social media.
2. This report lends credence to suspicions that some Nigerians deploy nefarious means and unconscionable methods to get a Degree with the end objective of getting graduate job opportunities for which they are not qualified.
3. The Federal Ministry of Education vehemently decries such acts and with effect from 2nd January 2024 is suspending evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from Benin and Togo Republics pending the outcome of an investigation that would involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and the two countries, the ministries responsible for Education in the two countries as well the Department of State Security Services (DSSS), and the National Youths Service Corps (NYSC). The Ministry therefore wish to call on the General Public to support its efforts, show understanding and provide useful information that will assist the Committee in finding lasting solutions in order to prevent further occurrence.
4. The Ministry has also commenced internal administrative processes to determine the culpability or otherwise of her staff for which applicable Public Service Rules would be applied.
5. The issue of degree mills institutions, i.e institutions that exist on paper or operate in clandestine manner outside the control of regulators is a global problem that all countries grapple with. FME has been contending with the problem including illegal institutions located abroad or at home preying on unsuspecting, innocent Nigerians and some desperate Nigerians who deliberately patronize such outlets. Periodically, warnings have been issued by the Ministry and NUC against the resort to such institutions and in some instances, reports made to security agencies to clamp down on the perpetrators. The ministry will continue to review its strategy to plug any loopholes, processes and procedures and deal decisively with any conniving officials.
6. The Ministry had always adopted the global standard for evaluation and accreditation of certificates of all forms which relies on receipt of the list of accredited courses and schools in all countries of the World.
7. The Ministry wishes to assure Nigerians and the general public that, it is already putting in place mechanisms to sanitise the education sector, including dissuading the quest for degree certificates (locally or from foreign countries) through a re-invigorated focus on inclusivity: reliance
on all skill sets as directed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.
8. The Federal Ministry of Education is committed to collaborating with stakeholders, including civil society organizations, to consistently enhance the Nigerian education system and we value the public’s understanding and patience as we strive to address these issues.
9. The Federal Ministry of Education wishes all Nigerians a happy new year. A year in which we would all work together to strengthen our education sector.
Signed
Mrs. Augustina Obilor-Duru
For Director Press and Public Relations
2nd January, 2023
News
Osun sues UBA, officials to court over illegal LG accounts
They were specifically accused of allowing the opening, operation and maintenance of accounts for each of the local government councils “by unknown private individuals as signatories…
• Map of Osun State
The Osun State Government has instituted a criminal case against United Bank for Africa Plc (UBA) and four of its top officials over alleged illegal opening of local government accounts.
Tribune newspaper reported that the Chief Magistrate Court, sitting in Osogbo, Osun State, has fixed January 30 for the hearing of the case, marked Charge No: MOS/601c/2025.
The defendants in the suit are: the UBA Plc, its Group Managing Director, Mr Oliver Alawuba, the Company Secretary and Group Legal Adviser, Mr Billy Odum and the Deputy Managing Director, Mr Chukwuma Nweke.
In the charge sheet, the government filed the 31-count charge against the bank and its officials, with each count relating to alleged infractions involving opening of bank accounts for the state’s 30 local government councils.
In count one, the prosecution alleged that the defendants, on or about December 9, 2025, and on subsequent days, at UBA’S Osun State branch office located in the Olonkoro area of Osogbo, conspired to commit a felony by opening, operating and maintaining what it described as illegal Osun State Local Government Council accounts.
The alleged offence, the charge stated, occurred within the Osogbo Magisterial District and is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 34, Volume 2, Laws of Osun State of Nigeria, 2002.
They were specifically accused of allowing the opening, operation and maintenance of accounts for each of the local government councils “by unknown private individuals as signatories” after the Local Government Service Commission had introduced to the defendants, Directors of Administration and General Services and Directors of Finance of all the local governments as signatories to the councils’ statutory accounts “and thereby committed an offence contrary to Sections 2 and 3 (1) and (2), and punishable under Section 5(1) and (2) of Osun State Local Government Accounts Administration Law, 2025.”
News
Umahi: We’re not tolling Third Mainland Bridge
Umahi affirmed this during inauguration of the N40 billion Closed Circuit Television Camera Centre on the Third Mainland Bridge, the previous day.
• Third Mainland Bridge
The Minister of Works Senator Dave Umahi has confirmed that the Federal Government has no plan to toll the rehabilitated Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos.
Umahi affirmed this during inauguration of the N40 billion Closed Circuit Television Camera Centre on the Third Mainland Bridge, the previous day.
He said : “We will not engage construction on this bridge because it will entail static load on the bridge.
“It is also within the town, so it will introduce many bottlenecks; that is why we are not tolling this bridge,” he said.
Umahi said that security would be handled by the police, noting that the 11-kilometre bridge would have a five-minute response time.
The controversy surrounding the tragic death of 21-month-old Nkanu Nnamdi Esege, son of acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her husband Dr. Ivara Esege, has intensified with a pointed rebuttal from the child’s aunt, Dr. Anthea Esege Nwandu.
Dr. Nwandu, a dual board-certified Internal Medicine physician with over 30 years of clinical experience in Nigeria and the United States—including board certifications from the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine, fellowship in the American College of Physicians, and a Master of Public Health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health—has publicly challenged the January 10, 2026, statement issued by Euracare Multispecialist Hospital in Lagos, where the toddler died on January 7 following a brief illness.
The child had been receiving treatment at Atlantis Hospital for what began as a suspected cold but developed into a serious infection. He was described as medically stable and scheduled for evacuation to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for further care when referred to Euracare for an MRI scan and central line insertion on January 6.
In her detailed rebuttal, Dr. Nwandu directly addressed what she described as significant falsehoods in Euracare’s statement, which expressed condolences while asserting that circulated reports contained inaccuracies, that the child arrived critically ill after treatment at two pediatric centers, and that care adhered to international standards.
Dr. Nwandu countered key claims as follows:
- Euracare’s assertion that the child had received care at two pediatric centers was false; he had been at only one hospital (Atlantis) prior to Euracare.
- On adherence to international standards: She alleged multiple breaches, including failure to provide continuous oxygen therapy during sedation (a requirement for children on oxygen), lack of continuous monitoring of blood oxygen levels, pulse, and respiration, and no resuscitative equipment (such as an Ambu bag) during transfers within the hospital.
- She questioned the accuracy of any documentation regarding the timing or duration of respiratory or cardiac arrest due to absent monitoring.
- Specific practices were criticized as non-standard, including an anesthesiologist carrying the post-sedation child on his shoulder without visual oversight or monitoring, insisting on being alone in the elevator with the child, and disconnecting oxygen during transfer to the ICU.
Dr. Nwandu emphasized that these alleged lapses occurred despite the child’s stability and planned international transfer, describing them as deviations from protocols that could have contributed to the fatal outcome.
Euracare’s January 10 statement expressed “deepest sympathies” for the “profound and unimaginable loss,” denied negligence, noted an ongoing internal investigation, and highlighted collaborative care with external teams. The hospital has described the child as critically ill upon arrival and maintained that all actions followed established protocols.
The case has drawn widespread attention, with Lagos State authorities launching an independent investigation into the circumstances, amid broader scrutiny of medical standards in Nigeria. The Nigerian Society of Anaesthetists is also monitoring developments.
The family, including Adichie, has expressed devastation and called for accountability to prevent future tragedies. Nkanu was one of twin boys born to the couple via surrogacy in 2024. Public figures, including Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, have offered condolences as the matter continues to unfold.
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