Federal Government Dismisses Civil Servants with Degrees from Togo, Benin Republic
The Federal Government of Nigeria has terminated the appointments of civil servants who obtained degrees from private tertiary institutions in the Republic of Benin and Togo from 2017 onward.
Segun Imohiosen, Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), confirmed the development on Wednesday. The decision follows the government’s August declaration that only eight universities in the two countries are accredited to award degrees to Nigerians.
The move was triggered by an investigative report in which a journalist from Daily Nigerian obtained a degree in just two months from a Beninese university and used it to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme. The revelation prompted a ban on the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from these countries and the establishment of an Inter-Ministerial Investigative Committee on Degree Certificate Milling.
The then Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, disclosed that over 22,500 Nigerians had obtained fake degree certificates from universities in Benin Republic and Togo. These certificates, he announced, would be invalidated to safeguard the country’s reputation.
Mamman revealed that many of the certificates were procured without the holders leaving Nigeria, facilitated by racketeering networks involving officials both domestically and internationally. “The fake universities capitalized on the gullibility of Nigerians,” he said, emphasizing the government’s commitment to removing such certificate holders from its workforce.
A directive from the SGF’s Cabinet Affairs Office instructed all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to identify and dismiss workers employed with such qualifications. Sources disclosed that the dismissals were based on recommendations from the investigative committee.
Some MDAs have already implemented the order. The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), for instance, confirmed the dismissal of five staff members following the directive. NYSC Director of Information, Caroline Embu, stated, “Five members of staff were affected by the directive contained in the letter from the office of the SGF. No more.”
While the exact number of affected civil servants remains unclear, the government’s action underscores its commitment to curbing certificate fraud and protecting the integrity of Nigeria’s workforce.
