The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to rescind its blanket invalidation of degree certificates obtained from institutions in the Republic of Benin and Togo.

The call followed the adoption of a report by the House Committee on Public Petitions during plenary on Wednesday, March 11. Presenting the report, the committee’s chairman, Laori Kwamoti, explained that it was based on a petition filed by Sovereignty Legal Practitioners on behalf of stakeholders in the education sector.

The petition challenged the government’s decision to invalidate degrees from the two West African countries amid concerns over academic fraud. In its recommendations, the committee urged the government to reverse the blanket ban, noting that the policy could unfairly penalize graduates who legitimately earned their qualifications.

The lawmakers also recommended a case-by-case verification approach to address confirmed instances of fraud rather than applying a general sanction to all certificates from the two countries.

Additionally, the House called on the Federal Ministry of Education to collaborate with education authorities in Benin and Togo to strengthen verification systems, curb academic fraud, and ensure proper authentication of foreign qualifications.

The ban was initially imposed in January 2024, when the Federal Government suspended the accreditation and evaluation of degrees from Benin and Togo following an undercover investigation that exposed widespread certificate racketeering.