Benin varsities, Nigerian polys in NYSC fraud

NYSC members

Some blacklisted universities in the Benin Republic have devised means of sneaking their graduates into the National Youth Service Corps in collaboration with certain private polytechnics in Nigeria, findings by Saturday PUNCH have shown.

Our correspondent gathered that the universities now obtain Higher National Diploma and National Diploma certificates for their graduates and students due for graduation through the private polytechnics.

After issuing the HND certificates, the polytechnics would then mobilise the affected students for the mandatory NYSC.

Saturday PUNCH also learnt that the students were asked to pay about N400,000 to obtain the HND certificates from the polytechnics, mostly located in South-West and South-East states.

Blacklisted Benin varsities

In 2024, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, announced the suspension of evaluation and accreditation of degree certificates from the Republic of Benin and Togo.

Over 45 Beninoise and Togolese universities were affected by the suspension.

The Federal Government’s decision followed a report by Daily Nigerian, which exposed the activities of a degree mill in Cotonou, a major city in Benin Republic.

An undercover reporter with the newspaper had obtained a degree from the university within six weeks and even participated in the mandatory NYSC in Nigeria.

Following the ban, some of the affected universities turned to private polytechnics to facilitate NYSC enrolment for their Nigerian graduates.

The connivance

Speaking with a graduate of Esfam-Benin University, one of the blacklisted universities in Porto Novo, Seun, said his academic records had been forwarded to a Nigerian private polytechnic for processing.