The development means Local Governments may wait till October before the implementation of the law in the direct payment into their respective accounts.

The Supreme Court, on July 11, 2024, gave a landmark judgment affirming the financial autonomy of the 774 LGs in the country and ruled that governors could no longer control funds meant for the councils.

The apex court also directed the Accountant-General of the Federation to pay LG allocations directly to their accounts, as it declared the non-remittance of funds by the 36 states unconstitutional.

Under former President Muhammadu Buhari, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit issued a regulation, effective from June 1, 2019, which banned transactions on State and Local Governments Joint Accounts. Funds were sent directly to the accounts of the local governments. It also limited cash withdrawals from local governments accounts to a maximum amount of N500,000 per day with penalties for banks that failed to comply. The Nigerian governors under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum kicked against this regulation and the NFIU eventually capitulated.

The status quo was maintained until May 2024 when the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), filed suit marked SC/CV/343/2024 at the Supreme Court to strengthen the autonomy of the local government areas as guaranteed by the constitution. It sought to prevent state governors from unilaterally dissolving democratically elected local government councils and establishing caretaker committees, actions that violate constitutional provisions. The AGF argued that the constitution mandates a democratically elected local government system and does not allow alternative governance structures.

The suit also prayed that the funds from the Federation Account be channelled directly to local governments, bypassing the allegedly unlawful joint accounts managed by state governors. The Federal Government also sought an injunction to stop governors and their agents from receiving or spending local government funds without a democratically elected local government system in place. It contended that the governors’ failure to establish such a system constitutes a deliberate subversion of the 1999 Constitution. The Supreme Court heard parties to the case on June 13, with the state governments, through their respective attorneys-general, opposing the suit.

That was the prelude to the Supreme Court judgment of last Thursday, July 11, 2024, which has now affirmed the financial autonomy of Nigeria’s 774 local governments. In the unanimous judgment of its seven-member panel, the Supreme Court upheld the suit brought by the federal government to strengthen the independence of local governments in the country.

A member of the panel, Emmanuel Agim, who delivered the court’s lead judgment, held that the local governments across the country should henceforth receive their allocations directly from the Accountant-General of the Federation. He ruled that it is illegal and unconstitutional for governors to receive and withhold funds allocated to local government areas in their states.

Many Nigerians, including the LG chairmen, hailed the judgment of the Supreme Court, describing it as a step in the right direction to restructure the country.

Although some governors voiced their concerns, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, speaking through the chairman and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said the judgment was a relief from the financial burden to state governments.

AbdulRazaq, speaking to journalists after meeting President Bola Tinubu on July 12, a day after the judgment, said, “The governors are happy with the devolution of power regarding local government autonomy. The public really doesn’t know how much states spend on bailing out local governments.”

The government said with the system, workers on the same level could earn different salaries.

The government said the formulation of an innovative wage system was being considered because it realised that productivity was a key factor in the growth of the country’s economy.

The Director-General of the National Productivity Centre, Nasir Raji-Mustapha, disclosed this on Monday during a meeting with Labour correspondents.

He said: “We are in the process of developing a productivity-led wage system that will ensure that those who are productive are rewarded for their efforts, irrespective of their grade level. Under the proposed system, employees on the same salary scale can earn different wages.”

When asked whether the new proposal on a productivity-led wage system had the support and input of organised labour, the NPC boss stressed that such a task couldn’t be carried out without the input of labour.

Raji-Mustapha said, “Of course, labour, as a critical stakeholder, is being carried along in this exercise. As researchers, we don’t just do things without considering the recipient of the reports.

When we started the project about three or four years ago, we held a stakeholders’ forum in which the labour unions participated. We even went further to send a memo to the NLC and TUC to ask them whether they will support the proposed wage system and they said they would welcome it.”

Raji-Mustapha added that the report for the first phase of the study was ready, adding that the next stage would be to engage various stakeholders to consider and make inputs before finally presenting it to the Federal Government for its consideration and possible adoption.

The NPC boss also disclosed that the Centre was collaborating with several international agencies and organisations to ensure that the productivity and skills of Nigerian workers are greatly improved to impact positively on the economy.

Specifically, he said the NPC had widened its scope of collaboration between it and international agencies such as the International Labour Organisation, Japanese International Cooperation Agency, Africa Productivity Association and Asia Productivity Association.

According to him, the centre has done a lot in the area of productivity promotion and advocacy for youths, especially the youths corp members at the NYSC camps, adding the NPC had resuscitated preaching and promoting productivity at the NYSC camps.

He also disclosed that the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, would be the keynote speaker at the two-day National Productivity Summit organised by the centre and holding in Abuja today (Tuesday).

An audit firm, KPMG had conducted an initial audit reducing the claims from N6tn to N2.7tn.

The Federal Government is also considering either engaging an external audit firm or directing the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation to verify the claims made by the corporation regarding the amount the government owes the oil firm.

The latest plan was revealed in the minutes of the Federal Account Allocation Committee meeting held in March 2024, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent.

On May 30, 2023, a few hours after the “subsidy is gone” declaration by President Bola Tinubu, the NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, told State House correspondents that the federal government still owes the firm the sum of N2.8tn spent on petrol subsidy.

While saying the NNPCL footed petrol subsidy bills from its cash flow, Kyari said the government had so far been unable to pay back the N2.8tn.

He said “Since the provision of the N6tn in 2022, and N3.7tn in 2023, we have not have not received any payment whatsoever from the Federation.

On May 30, 2023, a few hours after the “subsidy is gone” declaration by President Bola Tinubu, the NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, told State House correspondents that the federal government still owes the firm the sum of N2.8tn spent on petrol subsidy.

While saying the NNPCL footed petrol subsidy bills from its cash flow, Kyari said the government had so far been unable to pay back the N2.8tn.

He said “Since the provision of the N6tn in 2022, and N3.7tn in 2023, we have not have not received any payment whatsoever from the Federation.

That means they (the Federal Government) are unable to pay and we’ve continued to support this subsidy from the cash flow of the NNPC. We are waiting for them to settle up to N2.8tn of NNPC’s cash flow from the subsidy regime and we can’t continue to build this.”

But giving an update on the issue during the FAAC meeting, the Minister of Finance and Chairman of the committee, Wale Edun, said Tinubu was committed to ensuring that the forensic audit of NNPC Limited was conducted and the results analysed.

He stated that the audit would span from 2015 to 2021, aiming to verify the authenticity of NNPC/Federation Account claims on the N2.7tn.

Edun further proposed that the OAuGF be considered for the fresh audit over any other external audit, considering their expertise in auditing.

The minutes read in part, “The Chairman informed the members of Mr President’s commitment to ensuring that the forensic audit of NNPC Limited was conducted. He, however, proposed that since the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation had expertise in the areas of auditing, the Office would be considered first before any other external audit firm. He added that where external support would be required, an independent firm could be engaged, accordingly.”

However, the suggestion was dismissed by the Ogun State Commissioner for Finance, Dapo Okubadejo, who argued that engaging an independent auditor would mitigate potential conflicts of interest during the exercise.

Other commissioners, such as Isaac Kamalu of Rivers State and Lawal A. Maikano of Niger State, contributed additional perspectives to the discussion.

Ultimately, consensus was reached to prioritise the OAuGF, with the proviso to engage an external audit firm when deemed necessary for additional support.

The minute later read in part, “The HCF, Ogun State observed that given the diverse nature and objectives of the proposed audit exercise and to prevent conflict of interest, it would be better to engage an independent auditor to conduct the exercise so that other tiers of government will benefit from that level of independence. The HCF, Niger State supported the position and stressed the need to ensure inclusiveness and objectivity in conducting the exercise. On his part, the HCF, Rivers State observed that the engagement of an independent auditor would not necessarily guarantee the success of the exercise. He, therefore, suggested the need to combine both OAuGF and external firms to ensure the success of the exercise.

Details of the development were revealed by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, in an email sent to our correspondent on Tuesday night, entitled “Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024.”

The document revealed that the Nigeria Sanctions Committee met on March 18, 2024, where specific individuals and entities were recommended for sanction following their involvement in terrorism financing.

“The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, with the approval of the President, has thereupon designated the following individuals and entities to be listed on the Nigeria Sanctions List,” the document read in part.

Among the individuals named in the document was a Kaduna-based publisher, Tukur Mamu, who is currently being tried by the Federal Government for allegedly aiding the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022.

According to the document, Mamu “participated in the financing of terrorism by receiving and delivering ransome payments over the sum of $200,000 US in support of ISWAP terrorists for the release of hostages of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.”

The document said one of the individuals is “the suspected attacker of the St. Francis Catholic Church Owo, Ondo State on June 5, 2022 and the Kuje Correctional Center, Abuja on July 5, 2022.”

Another was described as “a member of the terrorist group Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladissudam, the group is associated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

“The subject was trained and served under Muktar Belmokhtar, aka One Eyed Out, led Al-Murabtoun Katibat of AQIM in Algeria and Mali.”

The NFIU said the individual “specialises in designing terrorist clandestine communication code and he is also Improvised Explosive Device expert.

“The subject was also a gate keeper to ANSARU leader, Mohammed Usman aka Khalid Al-Bamawi. Equally, he was a courier and travel guide to AQIM Katibat in the desert of Algeria and Mali. He is into carpentry. Subject fled Kuje correctional centre on July 5, 2022. He is currently at large.”

Another was identified as “a senior commander of the Islamic State of West Africa Province Okene.”

The agency said, the individual “came into limelight in 2012 as North Central wing of Boko Haram.

“The group is suspected of the attacks carried out around Federal Capital Territory and the South West Geographical Zone, including the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.”

Another was described as “a financial courier to ISWAP Okene. She is responsible for the disbursement of funds to the widows/wives of the terrorist fighters of the group.”

According to the document, another of the individuals “in 2015, transferred N60m to terrorism convicts.”

He was also said to have “received a sum of N189m  between 2016 and 2018.”

The same person is said to “own entities and business reported in the UAE court judgment as facilitating the transfer of terrorist funds from Dubai to Nigeria.”

Another individual was said to have “received a total of N57m from between 2014 and 2017.”

Another was said to have “had a total inflow of N61.4 bn and a total outflow of N51.7bn from his accounts.”

The document further revealed that, in accordance with Section 54 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, institutions and individuals are required to:

“(a) immediately, identify and freeze, without prior notice, all funds, assets, and any other economic resources belonging to the designated persons and entities in your possession and report same to the Sanctions Committee;

“(b) report to the Sanctions Committee any assets frozen or actions taken in compliance with the prohibition requirements.

“(c) immediately file a Suspicious Transactions Report to the NFIU for further analysis on the financial activities of such an individual or entity; and

“(d) report as a Suspicious Transactions Report to the NFIU, all cases of name matching in financial transactions prior to or after receipt of this List. ”

It said the “The freezing obligation required above shall extend to

“(a) all funds or other assets that are owned or controlled by the designated persons and entities, and not only those that are tied to a particular act, plot, or threat of terrorism or terrorism financing;

“(b) those funds or other assets that are wholly or jointly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by designated persons or entities;

“(c) the funds or other assets derived or generated from funds or other assets owned or controlled directly or indirectly by designated persons or entities; and

“(d) funds or other assets of persons and entities acting on behalf of, or at the direction of designated persons or entities.”

Consequently, 29 government agencies will be merged even as eight parastatals will be subsumed into eight other agencies.

More so, four agencies have been relocated to four various ministries and while one was earmarked for scrapping.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, revealed this to State House Correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, Monday.

Submitted in 2012, the Oronsaye report on public sector reforms revealed that there were 541—statutory and non-statutory—Federal Government parastatals, commissions and agencies.

A year earlier, then-President Goodluck Jonathan had set up the Presidential Committee on Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies, under the leadership of former Head of Civil Service, Stephen Oronsaye.

The 800-page report recommended that 263 of the statutory agencies be slashed to 161; 38 agencies be scrapped; 52 be merged and 14 be reverted to departments in various ministries.

The report also recommends that the law establishing the National Salaries and Wages Commission be repealed and its functions taken over by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Responsibility Commission.

It advised the Federal Government  to merge the nation’s top three anti-corruption agencies—the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Code of Conduct Bureau.

The Nigerian Government could save over N241bn if the report is duly implemented.

The minister, who explained that the move would not lead to job losses and redundancies in the affected agencies, said it was meant to reduce the cost of governance and free up monies for reinvestment into the developmental projects.

“In a very bold move today, this administration, under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu…has taken a decision to implement the so-called Oronsaye report. Now, what that means is that a number of agencies, commissions and some departments have been scrapped.

“Some have been merged, while others have been subsumed. Others, of course, have also been moved from some ministries to others where government feels they will operate better.

“The Pension Transition Arrangement Directorate has been scrapped. The National Senior Secondary School Education Commission is also being looked at with the aim to modify some of its processes and a final decision on that will be taken,” he explained.

Idris said the goal of Monday’s move is to “fine-tune and to restructure government operations as a whole…and to reduce the cost of governance because some of these agencies are performing very similar functions, so government thought it wise that there is the need, since this committee had already been set up, white paper already been produced, to take a bold decision to visit that.”

However, he allayed fears of massive job losses, saying employees will “find accommodation” within the new structure.

“It is important to note that the fact that the Oronsanye report has been approved and adopted by council today does not mean that people will lose their jobs.

All those who are employed, whether they have been moved, subsumed or scrapped will find accommodation with that with within relevant government agencies. Nobody is going to lose his job as a result of that,” he added.

In a May 7, 2023 report, weeks before President Tinubu took the oath of office, sources told our correspondents that the incoming President would merge some ministries and agencies of the Federal Government as recommended by the Oronsaye panel and would take tough decisions on other issues going by meetings with his core loyalists.

It was gathered that Tinubu had been meeting with some of his trusted aides on steps to reposition the country and that one of them was to take a critical look at the Oronsaye report.

The President’s Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman announced the agencies to be merged to include the National Agency for Control of HIV/AIDS to be merged with the Centre for Disease Control in the Federal Ministry of Health.

The Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution was subsumed under the Institute for International Affairs; the Public Complaints Commission under the National Human Rights Commission; the Nigerian Institute for Trypanosomiasis into the Institute for Veterinary Research; the National Medicine Development Agency under the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development and the National Intelligence Agency Pension Commission under the Nigerian Pension Commission.

She announced that the Niger Delta Power Holding Company has been relocated to the Ministry of Power; the National Agricultural Land Development Agency to the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security; the National Blood Service Commission has been converted into an agency and relocated to the Federal Ministry of Health even as the Nigerian Diaspora Commission becomes an agency at the Federal Ministry of Finance.

The Presidential aide revealed that Tinubu constituted a committee to midwife the necessary restructuring and legislative amendments needed to ensure full actualisation of the approvals granted.

She revealed, “He tasked this committee with an immediate term of reference to proceed and ensure all of these are done within a period of 12 weeks. The committee membership comprises the Secretary to the Government of Federation, who will chair the committee; the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, member; the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, member; the Honourable Minister of Budget and National Planning, member; the Director-General, Bureau of Public Service Reform, member; the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination is a member; the two Senior Special Assistants to the President on National Assembly are members; and the Cabinet Affairs Office will serve as secretariat.”

The committee, she said, would consider the administrative restructuring and also the legislative amendments required to ensure the full implementation of the recommendations.

It was gathered that three of the power projects were already given to concessionaires, while the Federal Executive Council had approved the concession of another of the power projects.

In a February 2024 document obtained from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Sanitation in Abuja on Friday, it was observed that while three of the hydropower projects had been completed, the remaining five were in various stages of completion.

The document was presented to the National Council on Water Resources and Sanitation at its 30th regular meeting by the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Joseph Utsev.

The country has been struggling with poor power generation and supply, as electricity firms generate and distribute between 3,000MW and 4,000MW for a population of over 200 million people.

The abysmal electricity supply situation grew worse since January this year after suppliers of gas to gas-fired thermal power plants stopped supplying the product to the plants due to the $1.3bn debt of the electricity generating plants.

To ameliorate the crisis, the Federal Government has been investing in hydropower plants that do not use gas, but are run by water-powered turbines.

The water resources minister, in the latest presentation from his ministry, stated that there had been tremendous progress in the brown and green field hydropower development through public private partnerships.

“We have conclusively concessioned some projects while still developing others through various PPP models itemised as follows: concession of the 40MW Dadinkowa Hydropower Project in Gombe State. We have attained financial closure and the plant is operational, thereby, stabilising the transmission voltage of the North-East of Nigeria.

“Concession of the 30MW Gurara Hydropower Plant in Kaduna State up to financial closure and the plant, which is under rehabilitation will commence commercial operation in the third quarter of the year 2024.

“Concession of the 40MW Kashimbila Hydropower Plant in Taraba State. The Federal Executive Council approval has been secured, the concession agreement executed and the commencement fee paid by the concessionaire to the special concession account as approved by the Federal Ministry of Finance Budget and National Planning,” Utsev said.

Outlining other projects, the minister said, “Development of 360MW Gurara Phase II Hydropower Project in Niger State (engineering, procurement and construction contract awarded and FEC approval for the concession of operation and maintenance of the power plant through PPP model secured).

“Development of 136 MW Manya and 182MW Bawaku Hydropower Projects in Taraba and Benue states respectively. This is at the procurement stage and ready to proceed to the Request for Proposal stage.

“Development of 460MW Katsina-Ala Hydropower Project in Benue. This is also at the procurement stage; proceeding to the request for proposal stage/negotiation with the proponent.

Development of 20MW Farin Ruwa Hydropower Plant Project in Nasarawa State. Advertisement of request for qualification has been placed in the Federal Tenders Journal and national newspapers for value for money to the government.”

Aside from giving the power plants to concessionaires, in a bid to grow the country’s electricity output, the Federal Government had also been making efforts to sell some power plants to raise funds and boost power production.

For instance, on January 24, 2024, it was exclusively reported that the Federal Government, through the Bureau of Public Enterprises, was carrying out transactions for the sale of five power plants under the National Integrated Power Projects for about $1.15bn.

The report stated that though sources familiar with the development explained that the cost of the plants should exceed $5bn based on international benchmarks, they revealed that the BPE was planning to sell the facilities at a price that was a little above $1.1bn

The acting Director-General, BPE, Ignatius Ayewoh, had confirmed to our correspondent in a brief telephone conversation that “the transaction is ongoing,” adding that “it is not concluded”.

The BPE boss did not disclose the cost for the five plants, as he stated that he was in a meeting and would not be able to give additional details at the time.

However, impeccable sources at the bureau had named the five power plants to include the 434 megawatts gas-fired Geregu II power plant, located in Kogi; 451MW Omotosho II plant in Ondo; and 750MW Olorunshogo II plant in Ogun State.

Others include the 563MW Odukpami power plant in Calabar, Cross River State; and the 451MW Benin-Ihovbor plant in Edo State.

It was gathered that the Omotosho plant, which has four power-generating turbines, would be sold at about $85m; while the Olorunsogo NIPP with also four turbines would cost $170m.

The payment of wage awards to Nigerian workers was one of the deals agreed upon by the organised labour and the Federal Government as one of the ways to mitigate the effect of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol.

However, the government at a time suspended the payment of the wage award, a move which was criticised by activists and other stakeholders

The development came amidst reports that the government had slashed the wage award allocation by N100bn in the 2023 supplementary budget.

The Nigeria Labour Congress had described the government’s action as dishonourable, while the Trade Union Congress also urged the government to pay civil servants the wage awards or risk industrial action.

A senior civil servant said some civil servants had started receiving the wage award for November 2023.

“Payment came in this morning, others have also confirmed receipt in my agency,” the source said.

Another senior civil servant in one of the Federal Government-owned schools outside Abuja also confirmed the development saying,” Yes, the November 2023 wage award has been paid.”

Following an ultimatum given by the organised labour, the Minister of State for Labour, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, noted that the government would again resume the payment of the wage awards.

The Minister of Transportation, Saidu Alkali, made this known in Abuja on Thursday during a sensitisation programme on road safety and the use of automobile safety kits organised by the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria.

During the programme organised in collaboration with West Africa Automobile Services Limited, a company registered in Egypt to produce safety kits; the minister revealed that countless lives could be saved if drivers abide by simple road etiquette.

The Minister who was represented by the Director, Road Transport and Mass Transit Administration in the ministry,  Musa Ibrahim, said, “This initiative is a welcome development. We want to thank President Bola Tinubu for creating an investment atmosphere to allow our brothers from West Africa Automobile Services Limited to come to the country to invest.

We will ensure that in no distance time, we will put in a policy to aid the use of safety kits and make the scheme a success. We know the number of lives that would have been safe if there were safety kits.”

President of the RTEAN, Musa Maitakobi, said the intention of the collaboration and launch of the kits is to transfer the investment to the Nigerian economy.

Maitakobi who was represented by the Deputy RTEAN President, Muhammad Bushara, noted that by strategically partnering with businesses, individuals, and community organizations, the association aims to raise awareness of the importance of having Automobiles Safety Kits in every vehicle.

He said, “We would encourage car owners and drivers to equip their vehicles with comprehensive safety kits, educate individuals about the essential components that contribute to a well-equipped safety kit, and promote safe driving practices and responsible ownership by emphasising the importance of preventive measures.

“The launch of this initiative is a significant milestone for us. It represents our unwavering dedication to promoting road safety and reducing the occurrence of preventable accidents. We are confident that by making these safety kits easily accessible to all vehicle owners, both private, state, and federal government, we can make a substantial impact on protecting lives and enhancing the overall safety culture within our country,”

He further noted that the Automobile safety kit consists of reflective vests, traffic cones, safety helmets, and warning triangles to increase visibility and alert other drivers in case of breakdowns or accidents.

Other components are first aid supplies, including bandages, antiseptics, and wound dressing items to provide immediate care in case of injury.

“We are not going to stop at just Benin and Togo,” the Minister of Education, Tahir Mamman, said on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Wednesday.

“We are going to extend the dragnet to countries like Uganda, Kenya, even Niger here where such institutions have been set up,” he said.

An undercover journalist with Daily Nigeria newspaper had detailed how he acquired a degree from a university in Benin Republic under two months and in fact, deployed for the National Youth Service Corps.

The Federal Government had immediately suspended accreditation of certificates from the two francophone West African nations and launched a probe which the minister said should submit its report in three months.

Mamman said students who patronise such institutions were not victims but criminals.

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

He added that security agents would go after those with fake certificates from foreign countries already using them to secure opportunities in Nigeria.

On the issue of student loan, the minister said, “The President has given his word that it will be operational from this quarter and the committee is working very hard to ensure that the president’s word is implemented.

The directive affected five universities from the United States, six from the United Kingdom, and three Ghanaian tertiary institutions.

Also, the Federal Ministry of Education on Tuesday announced the temporary suspension of evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from the Republic of Benin and Togo.

Announcing the ban in a statement published on its website, the National Universities Commission explained that the Federal Government had not licensed the affected universities and they had been closed down.

It stated, “The National Universities Commission wishes to announce to the general public, especially parents and prospective undergraduates that the under-listed “degree mills” have not been licensed by the Federal Government and have therefore been closed down for violating the Education (National Minimum Standards, etc.) Act of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The affected schools are the University of Applied Sciences & Management, Port Novo, Republic of Benin, or any of its other campuses in Nigeria; Volta University College, Ho, Volta Region, Ghana, or any of its other campuses in Nigeria; the International University, Missouri, USA, Kano, and Lagos Study Centres, or any of its campuses in Nigeria and the Collumbus University, United Kingdom operating anywhere in Nigeria.

The list also included Tiu International University, UK; Pebbles University, UK, operating anywhere in Nigeria; London External Studies UK operating anywhere in Nigeria; Pilgrims University operating anywhere in Nigeria; West African Christian University operating anywhere in Nigeria; EC-Council University, USA, Ikeja, Lagos Study Centre and Concept College/Universities (London) Ilorin or any of its campuses in Nigeria.

Others are Houdegbe North American University campuses in Nigeria; Irish University Business School London, operating anywhere in Nigeria; University of Education, Winneba Ghana, operating anywhere in Nigeria; Cape Coast University, Ghana, operating anywhere in Nigeria; African University Cooperative Development, Cotonou, Benin Republic, operating anywhere in Nigeria; Pacific Western University, Denver, Colorado, Owerri Study Centre and Evangel University of America & Chudick Management Academic, Lagos.

In a move to sanitise the education sector, the Ministry of Education said it was temporarily suspending the evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from the Republic of Benin and Togo.

The decision was sequel to an undercover investigative report titled, ‘How Daily Nigerian reporter bagged Cotonou varsity degree in 6 weeks,’ published by the Daily Nigerian newspaper.

The report exposed how some officials of the Beninese University produced fake university degrees for a fee.

The investigative reporter, Umar Audu, bagged a degree from the institution within six weeks and also participated in the mandatory one-year scheme organized by the National Youth Service Corps.

Audu, who reached out to the syndicate that specialises in selling degree certificates in December 2022, graduated in February 2023 and was issued a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication certificate from the Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, Cotonou, Benin Republic.

In reaction, the Federal Ministry of Education in a statement on Tuesday, decried the certificate racketeering exposed by the report and berated Nigerians who engaged in desperate methods to get a degree.

According to the statement by Augustina Obilor-Duru on behalf of the Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Education, the suspension of the evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from the Republic of Benin and Togo would subsist pending the outcome of an investigation involving the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Education of Nigeria, the two countries as well as the Department of State Security Services and the National Youths Service Corps.

The statement read, “The Federal Ministry of Education vehemently decries such acts and with effect from 2nd January 2024 is suspending evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from Benin and Togo Republics pending the outcome of an investigation that would involve the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria and the two countries, the ministries responsible for Education in the two countries as well the Department of State Security Services and the National Youths Service Corps.

“The ministry therefore wishes to call on the general public to support its efforts, show understanding, and provide useful information that will assist the Committee in finding lasting solutions to prevent further occurrence.

“The ministry has also commenced internal administrative processes to determine the culpability or otherwise of her staff for which applicable Public Service Rules would be applied.’’

The ministry further noted that the issue of institutions that exist on paper or operate clandestinely outside the control of regulators is a global problem that all countries grapple with.

“The FME has been contending with the problem, including illegal institutions located abroad or at home preying on unsuspecting, innocent Nigerians and some desperate Nigerians who deliberately patronize such outlets. Periodically, warnings have been issued by the ministry and NUC against the resort to such institutions and in some instances, reports made to security agencies to clamp down on the perpetrators. The ministry will continue to review its strategy to plug any loopholes, processes, and procedures and deal decisively with any conniving officials,” it stated.