Fake Certificates Saga: Students Body Urges FG To Sanction Only Culprits, Says 15000 To Be Affected

By Ayodele Oni

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), in Benin Republic, has reacted to the blacklisting of University degree Certificates issued by Universities in some countries in West Africa by the Nigerian Government.

The students body which regretted the situation which led to the ban, called for leniency on the ban of degree certificates from the country and Togo, saying 15,000 Nigerian students are in Benin Republic.

A report detailing how a degree was bagged in under two months from a school in the Benin Republic forced the government to ban the validation of certificates from the country and Togo.

In the wake of the development, the Federal Government  banned the validation of degree certificates from the countries.

But on Thursday, the NANS President of Benin Republic, Ugochukwu Favour said the Government should consider those students that were legitimately admitted.

“For now, I will say that the Federal Government should look into the issue. Now, you can’t because it is happening in this school, punish everyone because it involved close to 15,000 students in the Benin Republic.”

Favour, who spoke on Channels Television’s breakfast show Sunrise Daily, appealed to the federal government to step up efforts to probe the matter and punish those involved in the saga.

He said NANS in the Benin Republic has constituted a committee to probe the matter, expressing confidence that the report of its findings will be vital in curbing future occurrences.

“I have really not validated if it has been happening for a long time. This is just like what just came out on social media and we are still trying to find out how long it has been happening. So, that is why I set up a committee as the president to investigate it.

“I have no sympathy for such people. Instead, they are part of the criminal chain that should be arrested.”