The House of Representatives has absolved the Republic of Togo of any involvement in the issuance of fake academic certificates, a controversy that previously rocked Nigeria’s education sector.
Naija News reports that this development comes as the House Committee on Public Petitions shifts its investigative spotlight to the Republic of Benin, where a suspected syndicate allegedly operates a thriving certificate forgery ring.
Committee Chairman, Bitrus Laori, made the disclosure during a resumed investigative hearing in Abuja on Friday.
The session followed a petition submitted by Sovereign Legal Practitioners, representing concerned education stakeholders, who challenged the Federal Ministry of Education’s 2024 decision that implicated both Togo and Benin in academic fraud.
Laori said diplomatic investigations conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs found no evidence against Togo and reaffirmed the credibility of its academic institutions.
“The Republic of Togo has been cleared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The outstanding issue remains with the Republic of Benin,” Laori stated.
The committee has scheduled a fresh hearing for Thursday, July 10, 2025, to further probe the situation in Benin Republic.
The hearing was adjourned on Friday due to the absence of legal representation for the petitioners.
In addition, the committee issued a summons to the Federal Ministry of Education, demanding clarification on its 2024 directive mandating pre-qualification exams for foreign-trained graduates, a policy now affecting hundreds of Nigerians who studied in the Benin Republic.
“This matter is adjourned to July 10, and we are issuing another summons to the Federal Ministry of Education. We need clarification on the pre-qualification examinations being imposed on graduates from the Benin Republic,” Laori added.
Recall that the investigation gained momentum following a 2024 undercover report by a Nigerian journalist, which uncovered a booming market for fake academic degrees in the Benin Republic.
The exposé sparked national outrage and prompted swift action by the federal government.
In the aftermath, numerous civil servants were dismissed for holding degrees from unaccredited institutions in both Togo and Benin between 2017 and 2024.
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