As the Federal Ministry of Education on Tuesday announced the suspension of the assessment and accreditation of degree certificates from the Republic of Benin and Togo. In response, the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged comparable actions to be taken against domestic institutions offering unaccredited courses.
Report state that the ministry has blacklisted approximately 18 of these educational institutions following an undercover investigation conducted by a Nigerian newspaper, which exposed the activities of a degree mill in Cotonou, a major city in Benin Republic.
The investigation revealed that an undercover reporter obtained a degree from a Cotonou university within six weeks and also participated in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme.
In a statement released on Wednesday and signed by the factional National Senate President, Elvis Ekundina, NANS praised the Federal Government for its decision to suspend the evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates obtained from institutions in Benin Republic and Togo.
However, the students body called on the government “to extend its sanction to tertiary institutions operating in Nigeria who are offering courses without accreditation from relevant authorities.”
NANS expressed strong disapproval of the use of deceitful methods by certain Nigerians to obtain degrees from Benin Republic and Togo, with the intention of securing job opportunities for which they lack the required qualifications, deeming such actions as outrageous.
The association charged the Federal Government “to commence investigation into the activities of the Federal Ministry of Education, National Universities Commission (NUC), National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and other agencies fingered in the fraudulent activities of obtaining degree certificates from foreign universities.“
The statement read, “While we commend the Federal Government for its quick decision to suspend the accreditation of degree certificates obtained from institutions in Benin Republic and Togo, it is, however, important for the government to take further steps into investigating the activities of relevant agencies fingered in the fraudulent activities.”
“This is the only way the Federal government can save its face and restore the battered image of the country.
“We also want to use this opportunity to call on the government to beam its searchlight into the activities of tertiary institutions, especially privately owned ones, that are running unaccredited courses.
“These institutions, in their fraudulent act, are destroying our education sector and swindling innocent young Nigerians of their money by offering them unaccredited courses.
“NANS describes these universities and polytechnics offering unaccredited courses as illegal institutions as we want the government to deal with them appropriately.”
Ekundina urged the Federal Government to join forces with NANS and other student organizations in eliminating illegal tertiary learning institutions from the country, with the aim of revitalizing the nation’s education sector.
A recent investigation by PUNCH Newspapers revealed how a polytechnic in Abeokuta, Ogun State, named Havarde College of Science, Business and Management Studies.
The institution was found to be offering courses such as Law, Nursing, Pharmacy, Medical Laboratory Science, and others, traditionally exclusive to universities.