No fewer than 15,000 Nigerian students will be impacted by the Federal Government ban on varsity certificates from Benin Republic and Togo, NewsSpecng learnt.
The ban came after an undercover reporter exposed certificate racketeering in Benin Republic institution in less than two months.
Following the revelation, the federal government banned the validation of degree certificates from the countries
But the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Benin Republic, on Thursday pleaded with the Federal Government against blanket suspension of certificates from Benin and Togo.
Ugochukwu Favour, the NANS president in Benin Republic, said on Channels Television’s breakfast show Sunrise Daily on Thursday 4th January 2024 that 15,000 Nigerian students are in Benin who will be negatively affected by it.
Favour posited that the government should take into account pupils who had been admitted legitimately.
“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,” he said.
He also urged the government to address the push factors responsible for the crime.
He also added: “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.”