Federal Government Invalidates Cotonou University Degrees, Orders Immediate Dismissal of Certificate Holders

The Federal Government of Nigeria has declared that all degree certificates issued by Cotonou University from 2017 to the present are invalid. This decision will also lead to the immediate termination of federal employees holding these certificates. Additionally, the government has mandated the dismissal of employees in both public and private sectors who possess fake degrees from institutions in the Republics of Benin and Togo.

The announcement was made by Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, during a press conference marking his first anniversary in office. Mamman stated that these measures were approved by the federal executive council, led by President Bola Tinubu. He revealed that a committee had been established to investigate the prevalence of Nigerians obtaining counterfeit degrees from neighboring countries, which resulted in a thorough review and subsequent recommendations.

The investigation identified 21,684 fake certificates from Benin and 1,105 from Togo, obtained between 2019 and 2023. Many of these certificates were from unrecognized institutions in these countries. Mamman emphasized that certificates from universities not approved by local authorities, particularly those offering degrees exclusively in English in Benin, would no longer be recognized by Nigeria.

As a result of these findings, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation will issue a circular to all employers, both in the public and private sectors, to identify and remove individuals holding degrees from these institutions. The Head of Service has also been directed to identify and dismiss public servants with such certificates.