Certificate Scam: NANS Begs FG, Says Ban Affects 15,000 Nigerian Students In Benin Republic

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in the Republic of Benin asked for leniency from the Federal Government, saying the current blanket ban on validation of degree certificates from the Benin Republic and Togo will affect over 15,000 Nigerians studying in the country.

The plea is coming from the NANS President in the Benin Republic, Ugochukwu Favour, who wants the government to review its order by absolving students legitimately admitted to study in institutions located in both francophone countries.

Speaking on Channels TV’s breakfast show Sunrise Daily on Thursday, Favour said instead of painting every student with the same brush, the government should step up efforts at investigating and adequately punishing all those found culpable in the certificates’ racketeering.

He said on its part, NANS in the Benin Republic has already constituted a committee to probe the matter, assuring that the report of its findings would be vital in curbing future occurrences.

According to him; “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.

“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.”

Favour further said; “We have over 15,000 Nigerians studying in that country alone. The ban will affect legitimate students who are at various levels of their studies. We are not saying that the government should not punish anybody who has engaged in criminal acts, but it is not in all the universities that such a thing is happening.

“Also, it is not all the students that are involved in such terrible acts. While one agrees that the undercover reporter has helped to expose some misdeeds, he also breached certain conventions in the process. Our appeal is that let the guilty ones be punished, spare the innocent.”

The Student body’s passionate plea comes on the heels of the recent investigative report that exposed certificate racketeering in higher institutions from Benin and Togo with the federal government banning the validation of degree certificates acquired from both neighbouring countries.