By BANNERNEWS Reporter
The House of Representatives on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to rescind the blanket invalidation of degree certificates obtained from institutions in the Republics of Benin and Togo.
The resolution followed the adoption of the report of the House Committee on Public Petitions at plenary.
Presenting the report, the committee chairman, Laori Kwamoti, said the recommendation stemmed from a petition filed by Sovereignty Legal Practitioners on behalf of stakeholders in the education sector.
The petition challenged the Federal Government’s decision to invalidate degrees from institutions in the two West African countries over concerns about academic fraud.
The committee, however, warned that a sweeping ban could unfairly affect graduates who obtained their qualifications legitimately.
Lawmakers therefore urged the government to adopt a case-by-case verification process to identify fraudulent certificates rather than imposing a blanket sanction.
They also called on the Federal Ministry of Education to collaborate with education authorities in Benin and Togo to strengthen verification mechanisms and curb academic fraud.
The House further urged the National Orientation Agency and the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation to intensify public awareness on how Nigerians can verify the accreditation status of foreign institutions.
The Federal Government had in January 2024 suspended the accreditation and evaluation of degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo following an undercover investigation that exposed how a Nigerian journalist obtained a degree from a Benin university within two months and used it to enrol in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.
