The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to reconsider the comprehensive invalidation and suspension of degree certificates obtained from tertiary institutions in the Republic of Benin and Togo.
The resolution follows a motion of urgent public importance highlighting the unintended consequences of the blanket ban on thousands of legitimate Nigerian students. While the House commended the Ministry of Education’s efforts to eliminate academic racketeering, it expressed concern that the current policy penalizes graduates from accredited and recognized institutions alongside those from unapproved “degree mills.”
The House emphasized that many Nigerians invested years of study in recognized francophone institutions. A blanket invalidation risks disenfranchising qualified professionals and creating a “lost generation” of graduates.
Lawmakers noted that the Republic of Togo has largely been cleared of systemic wrongdoing through diplomatic channels. They urged the government to adopt a more surgical approach by identifying specific “blacklisted” schools rather than sanctioning entire national education systems.
The suspension has halted the career progression of thousands of civil servants and private-sector employees, as well as the eligibility of prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members.
Instead of a total ban, the House suggested strengthening the evaluation and accreditation department of the Ministry of Education to conduct case-by-case verifications of foreign degrees.
“We must maintain the integrity of our educational standards without sacrificing the hard work of innocent students,” the House Committee stated. “The focus should be on weeding out the syndicates and fake institutions, not punishing those who followed the legal and academic protocols of our neighboring countries.”
The House has mandated its Committee on Education (Tertiary) to interface with the Federal Ministry of Education and the National Universities Commission (NUC) to develop a more nuanced framework for the evaluation of these certificates.
