The Federal Government has confirmed that it has begun dismissing employees who hold degrees from unaccredited private universities in the Republic of Benin and Togo.
The affected civil servants are those who graduated from these institutions between 2017 and the present.
Segun Imohiosen, spokesperson for the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, verified the development on Wednesday, explaining that the move is part of efforts to cleanse the civil service of individuals holding fraudulent qualifications.
This follows a significant revelation in August, when the Federal Government announced that only eight universities in Benin Republic and Togo were accredited to confer degrees on Nigerian students.
The decision came after an undercover investigation by Daily Nigerian journalist Umar Audu, who obtained a degree from a university in Benin Republic within two months and used it to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme.
In response, the government banned the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from tertiary institutions in these two countries, as well as from other foreign universities.
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An interministerial investigative committee was formed to look into the activities of certificate fraudsters.
Former Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, later revealed that over 22,500 Nigerians had obtained fake degrees from institutions in Benin Republic and Togo. He announced that these degrees would be invalidated.
According to recent updates, several ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), including the NYSC, have already begun implementing the directive. Caroline Embu, the NYSC Director of Information, confirmed that five staff members were dismissed in accordance with the directive from the Office of the SGF.
This development comes shortly after former Nigerian Senator Shehu Sani raised concerns in November 2024 that the Federal Government had started firing employees with unverified degrees from Benin Republic and Togo.
