The federal government says the committee instituted to probe fake academic certificates will soon submit its report.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday, Tahir Mamman, minister of education, said the committee has completed its sittings on the matter.
In January, the federal government suspended the evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo.
The decision was sequel to an undercover investigative report that exposed certificate racketeering from neighbouring African countries.
A report published in The Daily Nigerian exposed a booming certificate racketeering syndicate in neighbouring African countries like Benin Republic and Togo, that specialises in selling university degrees to willing buyers in Nigeria.
In the investigation, an undercover reporter bagged a university degree from Cotonou in six weeks at “an affordable rate” and used the certificate to participate in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme without detection.
Subsequently, the federal government inaugurated an inter-ministerial committee to investigate fake degrees and the procurement of such degrees.
The panel was also mandated to probe the veracity of the allegations of certificate racketeering within foreign and private universities in Nigeria.
When asked about the progress made on the investigation, the minister said he has not seen the content of the committee’s report.
“I understand that they are about to submit their report in the next few days,” the minister said.
“The committee has completed sitting. They are basically doing the editing work. Very soon, we will have it.”
“I cannot comment on it (report) yet because the report is not before me but it appears there is a problem (certificate racketeering).
