Ben Goong, the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, conveyed this information in a notice sent to journalists in Abuja.
“Education Minister, Prof. Tahir Mamman, will this afternoon, inaugurate an inter-ministerial committee on degree mills,” Goong stated in the notice.
Recent discussions in Nigeria have centered around the activities of degree mills, sparked by an investigative report from journalist Umar Audu with the Daily Nigerian newspaper. The report exposed the operations of degree mills in Benin Republic and Togo, detailing how Audu obtained a degree within six weeks and underwent mandatory youth service under the National Youth Service Corps scheme.
Following the report, the Nigerian government imposed a ban on accrediting and evaluating degrees from Benin Republic and Togo due to the illegalities exposed. Minister Mamman announced the government's intention to extend its scrutiny to institutions in other African countries like Ghana.
The ban is expected to impact no fewer than 10,900 Nigerian students studying in Beninois and Togolese universities, as reported by the National Association of Nigerian Students in Benin Republic and Togo. Additionally, the National Universities Commission revealed that 18 out of the 58 universities whose operations have been suspended in Nigeria are foreign-owned.
