After a prolonged suspension, Nigerian authorities have lifted restrictions on higher education degrees awarded in Togo. The Nigerian Federal Government has announced that eight universities—three in Togo and five in Benin—are now officially accredited to issue degrees to Nigerian students.
This decision was confirmed by the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, during an appearance on the “Sunday Politics” program on Channels Television. The announcement follows a prior statement by the minister at a press conference, where he revealed that over 22,700 degrees obtained by Nigerians from unaccredited universities allegedly located in Togo and Benin had been invalidated.
In 2023, Nigerian journalist Umar Audu exposed how he obtained a degree in just two months from a university in Benin. This revelation led to the immediate suspension of accreditation for degrees from Togo and Benin by the Nigerian government, which also launched an investigation.
The findings of this investigation, submitted to the Federal Executive Council (FEC), resulted in the annulment of degrees issued by institutions deemed illegal. Minister Mamman defended this decision, emphasizing that Togolese and Beninese authorities themselves acknowledged the fraudulent nature of these establishments.
The minister clarified that only three universities in Togo—the University of Lomé, the University of Kara, and the Catholic University of West Africa—and five in Benin—the University of Abomey-Calavi, the University of Parakou, the National University of Sciences, Technologies, Engineering and Mathematics, the National University of Agriculture, and the African University of Cooperative Development—are now authorized to award valid degrees to Nigerian students.