The House of Representatives has officially cleared the Republic of Togo of any role in the issuance of fake academic certificates, turning its full attention to the Republic of Benin where strong evidence of certificate racketeering has surfaced.
Chairman of the House Committee on Public Petitions, Hon. Bitrus Laori, made the disclosure on Friday, June 20, during an investigative hearing in Abuja.
The hearing followed Petition No. 445 of 2024, filed by Sovereign Legal Practitioners on behalf of Nigerian education stakeholders.
Laori stated, “Of course, the Republic of Togo has been cleared by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The outstanding issue remains with the Republic of Benin.”
The committee’s focus now shifts solely to Benin Republic after diplomatic investigations affirmed the integrity of Togo’s educational institutions.
A new hearing has been scheduled for July 10, 2025, following the absence of the petitioners’ counsel.
The Federal Ministry of Education, also absent at the sitting, has been summoned to explain its 2024 policy mandating pre-qualification exams for Nigerians with foreign degrees.
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“This matter is adjourned to July 10, and we are issuing another summons to the Federal Ministry of Education,” Laori ruled.
“We need clarifications on the pre-qualification examinations being imposed on graduates from Benin Republic, which is currently affecting hundreds of Nigerian students and graduates,” he said.
The House probe follows an undercover report in late 2024 that uncovered a thriving certificate-for-sale network in Benin Republic.
The exposé triggered widespread backlash and uproar which led to disciplinary actions against several civil servants who acquired unrecognised degrees from institutions in Benin and Togo between 2017 and 2024.
With Togo exonerated, lawmakers are intensifying their investigation into Benin Republic’s academic institutions and their Nigerian collaborators.
The committee says the probe will continue until all parties involved in the fraud are identified and held accountable.