Nigeria to Ban Degrees From Uganda

 

The Nigerian government has widened its scope of suspended degree evaluations, including institutions in Benin Republic and Togo, and now targeting Kenya, Uganda, and Niger. The decision was communicated by Nigerian Education Minister Tahir Mamman, who expressed a commitment to cleansing the education system in the country.

The suspension was initially prompted by an investigative journalist who exposed the acquisition of a degree from a Benin Republic university in less than 60 days, which was subsequently used for enrollment in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Minister Mamman declared, "We are not going to stop at just Benin and Togo. We are going to extend the dragnet to countries like Uganda, Kenya, even Niger where such institutions have been set up." The aim is to eliminate certificates from institutions deemed questionable.

Mamman outlined the strategy, emphasizing that they would investigate institutions operating in the last decade to trace Nigerians who attended them. He asserted, "If we can get records of Nigerians who attended that institution, the security agencies will go after them because they are criminals."

Addressing the issue of Nigerians holding fake foreign certificates within the system, the minister asserted that there would be no sympathy, declaring, "Once we do that, they are criminals, and you know there is no timeframe to criminality. We will trace them."

Furthermore, the Federal Government of Nigeria emphasized that it would not be lenient towards nationals possessing certificates from flagged institutions. Mamman stated, "I have no sympathy for such people. Instead, they are part of the criminal chain that should be arrested."

In response to concerns about the scope of the crackdown, the Nigerian Ministry of Education did not clarify whether all universities in Kenya, Uganda, and Niger were being targeted or if the focus was on institutions lacking physical infrastructure.

While accusations have been made against Kenya, Uganda, and Niger, the Nigerian government has yet to provide concrete evidence that institutions from these countries unlawfully issued degree certificates.