The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has commended the Federal Government over the suspension of the evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates obtained from institutions in the Benin Republic and Togo.
NANS made a call in a statement signed by its national Senate President, Elvis Ekundina, to the government to extend its sanction to tertiary institutions operating in Nigeria that are offering courses without accreditation from relevant authorities.
It would be recalled that the Federal Ministry of Education raised concern on Tuesday over the utilization of deceptive methods by some Nigerians to acquire degrees from the Benin Republic and Togo, aimed at securing job opportunities for which they lack qualifications.
The ministry had blacklisted about 18 of those learning institutions following the undercover investigation conducted by a Nigerian newspaper which exposed the activities of a degree mill in Cotonou, a major city of Benin Republic.
Reacting to this, NANS called on the Federal Government to commence an investigation into the activities of the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and other agencies fingered in the fraudulent activities of obtaining degree certificates from foreign universities.
“While we commend the federal government for its quick decision to suspend the accreditation of degree certificates obtained from institutions in Benin Republic and Togo, it is important for the government to take further steps into investigating the activities of relevant agencies fingered in the fraudulent activities. This is the only way the federal government can save its face and restore the battered image of the country”.
“We also want to use this opportunity to call on the government to beam its searchlight into the activities of tertiary institutions, especially privately owned ones that are running unaccredited courses. These institutions, in their fraudulent acts, are destroying our education sector and swindling innocent young Nigerians of their money by offering them unaccredited courses. Like to describe these universities and polytechnics offering unaccredited courses as illegal institutions, as we want the government to deal with them appropriately”, said Ekundina.
Ekundina called on the federal government to collaborate with NANS and other student bodies to rid the country of illegaltertiary institutions and reposition the education sector.
Ugochi Olivia Ubah is an Educator and a Writer
