The Federal Ministry of Education is set to address the rising issue of degree mills by inaugurating an inter-ministerial committee, as announced by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Ben Goong.
In a statement to journalists in Abuja, Goong stated, “Education Minister, Prof. Tahir Mamman, will this afternoon, inaugurate an inter-ministerial committee on degree mills.
” The move comes in response to recent revelations about the activities of degree mills in Benin Republic and Togo, highlighted in an investigative report by Umar Audu with the Daily Nigerian newspaper.
Audu’s report detailed how he obtained a degree within six weeks and participated in the National Youth Service Corps scheme with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication certificate from Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, Cotonou, Benin Republic.
Following the exposé, the Nigerian government imposed a ban on the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin Republic and Togo. Education Minister Tahir Mamman emphasized that the government would extend its scrutiny to institutions in other African countries, including Ghana.
The ban is expected to impact over 10,900 Nigerian students studying in Benin and Togo, according to statistics from the National Association of Nigerian Students. Additionally, the National Universities Commission revealed that 18 out of the 58 suspended universities in Nigeria are foreign-owned.
The establishment of the inter-ministerial committee reflects the government’s commitment to addressing the issue of fake degrees and ensuring the integrity of educational credentials in the country.
