Nigeria Considers Banning Degrees Obtained From Kenyan Universities In Ongoing Crackdown

• The federal government of Nigeria has announced plans to ban degree certificates obtained from Kenya, Uganda, Niger, Benin, and Togo
• Education minister Tair Mamman said there are nonexistent institutions within the countries conferring their students with fake degrees
• Mamman said that the Nigerian government will revoke such certificates and bring the culprits to book to safeguard their employers

Nancy Odindo, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics, news, and feature stories across digital and print media in Kenya.

Nigeria's Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, has announced plans by their government to extend its suspension of degree accreditation and evaluation to Kenya and Uganda.

Over 45 universities have been affected by the suspension of degrees due to allegations of granting fake degrees to students.

“We are not going to stop at just Benin and Togo. We are going to extend the dragnet to countries like Uganda, Kenya, and even Niger, where such institutions have been set up,” Mamman said on Wednesday, January 3, during an interview on Nigeria's Channels Television channel.

Why is federal government banning such degrees?

According to Mamman, institutions offering such degrees operate undercover without physical locations.

He strongly reiterates the government's resolve to combat certificate forgery, categorising individuals involved with these institutions as criminals.

The minister affirmed that security agents will actively pursue Nigerians holding counterfeit certificates from foreign countries.

What led to revelation?

In response to an exposé by Umar Audu, a reporter for the Daily Nigerian newspaper, revealing that he obtained a four-year degree from a Benin university in just six weeks, the government unveiled plans to ban and take legal action against individuals involved in such fraudulent activities.

Mamman asserted a lack of sympathy for those affected, emphasising the need to uphold the law, stating that the measure would safeguard Nigeria's employers and preserve the integrity of the country's qualifications.

Despite this, the government clarifies that the investigation will not extend to nonexistent foreign universities, focusing instead on revoking certificates from criminals in line with established policies

We are becoming a fake country, says David Oginde

Barely months ago, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission chairperson David Oginde said most leaders in Kenya have fraudulently acquired fake degree certificates to secure well-paying jobs in both the private and public sectors, as well as the government.

The anti-graft chief likened the worsening situation to a pandemic that needs urgent attention.

"Right now, I think if there is a pandemic, it is a pandemic of fake certificates. People purport to have a university degree, which they do not have. They are getting jobs both in public and private offices. Some of them have senior jobs in government, but they have fake certificates.

We are becoming a fake country. The majority of them are people you do know; you get information that so and so has a fake certificate and got a job as a governor. The big deal is the people you know," Oginde said.