The Federal Government has been urged by the House of Representatives to remove the general prohibition on degree credentials from the Republic of Benin and Togo.
Following the House Committee on Public Petitions’ presentation and successful adoption of its findings during the plenary session on Wednesday, the call was made.
The proposals came after “a petition submitted by Sovereignty Legal Practitioners on behalf of stakeholders in the education sector,” according to committee chairman Laori Kwamoti.
The government’s decision to revoke degrees from schools in the two West African nations, which was first brought about by worries about academic fraud, was contested in the case.
The committee warned that “the measure could unfairly penalize graduates who legitimately earned their qualifications” and encouraged the federal government to reevaluate the general invalidation.
Rather of penalizing all certificate holders, the MPs suggested putting in place a case-by-case verification system to detect and resolve fraud.
In order to improve verification processes, stop fraudulent activities, and guarantee the correct authentication of foreign qualifications, the House also demanded greater cooperation between the Federal Ministry of Education and educational authorities in Benin and Togo.
Following an undercover investigation that exposed widespread certificate racketeering, the Federal Government halted the accreditation and examination of degree certificates from Benin and Togo in January 2024.
