Alumni Association of Benin Universities Responds to the Allegations of Certificate Racketeering 

Universities in the Benin Republic and Togo, alongside some other foreign universities in Nigeria, have been recently blacklisted by the Federal Government. 

This is happening due to some information shared by Umar Audu, a reporter at the Daily Nigerian who just bagged a degree certificate and his full transcript after only a few weeks. The Nigerian reporter wrote an undercover statement revealing that he obtained the certificate and the transcript of Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, ESGT, Cotonou, Benin Republic, in six weeks and that he participated in the National Youth Service Corps program of the Nigerian government with the Benin Varsity Degree certificate.

The President, Committee of Alumni Associations of Benin Republic, Obiwuru C. Rex has responded to the ongoing saga, stating that their concern did not lie in the reporter conducting an undercover investigation but rather in the hasty generalization fallacy exhibited in the reporter's report.

He also admitted that although certificate racketeering is a widespread occurrence globally, including in advanced countries, it would be misguided and intentionally damaging to generalize the negative experience of certificate fraud in a single university as indicative of the operations across all universities in Cotonou, Benin Republic.

"Documents on approved universities and courses in the Benin Republic can be obtained at the Nigerian Embassy in Cotonou and we expected that the reporter would extend his undercover investigation to the Nigerian Embassy in Cotonou to find out which universities are approved and courses accredited."

It is salient to add that some universities in the Benin Republic are members of Association of African Private Universities which is well aware of the Benin Education System," he added in his statement. 

Furthermore, Obiwuru stated that Universities in Benin Republic can count a significant number of graduates from Nigeria among their alumni. These alumni completed their undergraduate studies in Cotonou universities and subsequently returned to Nigeria, either for employment or to pursue further education up to the PhD level. 

Also, according to him, many Nigerian alumni were properly admitted to their preferred courses in the universities of their choosing, completed the requisite duration of study, engaged in assignments, tests, practicals, continuous assessments, and exams, graduated, and proceeded to participate in the National Youth Service Corps program in Nigeria.

The Alumni President took time to share testimonials from individuals who have been through the school and graduated successfully, stating that the graduates are doing well and contributing to the economy in different ways. 

"In order not to sound defensive, we are stating unequivocally that varsities in Benin Republic are reputable for academic excellence. The universities are approved and their courses are accredited by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Benin Republic," Obiwuru added. 

After everything he had stated earlier, the president urged that it would be unjust for the Federal Government of Nigeria to penalize all universities in Benin Republic and Togo due to the alleged wrongdoing of a single university. Stressing the symbiotic diplomatic ties between the Benin Republic and Nigeria, presented the importance of diplomatic channels in addressing the matter.

"We salute the professionalism, diligence, and doggedness of Umar Audu, the Daily Nigerian reporter, who uncovered the shady activities of the certificate racketeering syndicate in Benin Republic. We fervently hope that the report of the investigation will help relevant authorities to take necessary actions towards nipping the activities of such syndicates in the bud across universities not only in the Benin Republic but also in Nigeria and other countries," he finally said.

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