Nigeria is being rocked by yet another scandal. In the eye of the storm this time is the criminal vending of fake cash-and-carry academic degrees from the neighbouring republics of Benin and Togo.
While the criminality of the act is the primary focus, the number of establishments tarred along the line serves as a sorry indicator of how deep and wide the tree of corruption continues to spread its roots in our society.
This growing conduct of fakery and quackery lowers the quality of life in our home country Nigeria, discourages enterprise, slows development and often raises doubts about the identities of the individuals we encounter in the course of the day, the services we subscribe to and the origin, quality and integrity of even the food and medication on the shelves in the marketplace. It also questions the competence, integrity and leadership in government institutions, especially those charged with oversight functions.
Beyond our borders, quackery further tars the perception of our brand as a nation and as a people.
This particular case came to light following an investigative report that unveiled how some Nigerians deploy unscrupulous means to obtain fake academic degrees from neighbouring countries.
An undercover journalist, Umar Audu, in an investigative report titled ‘How Daily Nigerian reporter bagged Cotonou varsity degree in 6 weeks’, revealed how a degree certificate from a Cotonou-based university in Benin Republic, Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies (ESGT), was delivered to him “like pizza” within six weeks after payment was made and without having undertaken a course of study in the university, or even leaving the shores of Nigeria.
“This certificate will be delivered to you just like you ordered for a pizza or something and you give them your location and it is delivered to you. That was what motivated me to conduct this investigation,” Audu said on Channels Television.
He recalled how a similar investigation led to the Federal Government taking certain decisions in 2018, but the practice has continued despite the government’s pronouncements.
Audu also detailed how he got backdated immigration stamps on his Nigerian international passport without leaving the shores of the country. With his fake university certificate, also filed in and participated in the compulsory one-year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme without being detected.
The key Nigerian establishments that come into focus here are the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), the NYSC, and the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), among others, who have oversight or involvement in matters raised and procedures breached.
Meanwhile, in response to the degree scandal, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, organised a crucial meeting at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja with the undercover reporter with the objective to verify details and dispel any uncertainties.
Earlier also, the Federal Ministry of Education announced that it has suspended the evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from the Republics of Benin and Togo until further notice.
While these comments and actions are well and good, responsible government organisations and officials would do well to be more proactive and thorough in the execution of their duties, rather than allowing themselves to be beaten and then responding belatedly.
Furthermore, it would appear that greed and corruption are at the root of much of this malaise. As such, these vices need to be properly addressed and discouraged.
As said earlier, this growing conduct of fakery and quackery lowers the quality of life in Nigeria, discourages enterprise, slows development and often raises doubts about the identities of the individuals we encounter in the course of the day, the services we subscribe to and the origin, quality and integrity of even the food and medication on the shelves in the marketplace.
Beyond our borders, quackery further tars the perception of our brand as a nation and as a people.
We certainly cannot afford to continue to live this way. As such, those bad apples causing us this pain and ridicule must be continuously fished out and punished to stem the rot and cleanse the stable. The project is long overdue.
