Nigeria’s Federal Government has moved to lift the blanket ban placed on degree certificates obtained from universities in Benin and Togo, following recommendations from the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions.

The decision comes after lawmakers reviewed a petition submitted by education stakeholders challenging the earlier invalidation of certificates from the two neighbouring countries. The committee recommended that the government withdraw the sweeping ban and instead verify certificates on a case-by-case basis to identify genuine qualifications and isolate fraudulent ones.

The ban was originally introduced in January 2024 after an investigation exposed a network of “degree mills” in some institutions in the region. The probe revealed that certain universities were issuing academic degrees to Nigerians in extremely short periods, sometimes within weeks, raising concerns about widespread academic fraud. 

Authorities said the development allowed some individuals to obtain qualifications that were later used to secure jobs in Nigeria, prompting the government to suspend the evaluation and accreditation of certificates from the affected institutions while investigations were conducted. 

During the investigation, lawmakers also found that more than 22,000 Nigerians were linked to questionable certificates obtained from institutions in the two countries between 2019 and 2023. 

Following months of hearings and diplomatic consultations, the House committee advised that rather than maintain a blanket restriction, the government should introduce stronger verification systems and work with education authorities in both countries to prevent future abuse.

The committee also urged the Federal Ministry of Education to collaborate with regulators in Benin and Togo to strengthen accreditation checks and improve mechanisms for authenticating foreign degrees.

With the new recommendation adopted, the long-running controversy affecting thousands of Nigerian graduates who studied in the neighbouring countries is expected to ease, while authorities continue efforts to curb certificate fraud within the education system.