Some blacklisted universities in the Benin Republic have found new ways to smuggle their graduates into Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme by collaborating with certain private polytechnics in Nigeria, investigations by Saturday PUNCH have revealed.
Findings showed that these universities obtain Higher National Diploma (HND) and National Diploma (ND) certificates from the private polytechnics for their graduates, allowing them to register for NYSC.
According to several sources, the students pay as much as ₦400,000 to secure the fake HND certificates and NYSC mobilisation through the polytechnics, most of which are located in South-West and South-East Nigeria.
Blacklisted Schools Turn to Polytechnics
In 2024, the Federal Government suspended the accreditation of degree certificates from Benin Republic and Togo after a report by Daily Nigerian exposed how a reporter obtained a fake degree from Cotonou in just six weeks and participated in the NYSC.
Since the suspension, some of the affected Benin universities have turned to Nigerian private polytechnics to help their graduates evade the restriction.
One graduate from Esfam-Benin University, identified as Seun, told Saturday PUNCH that his academic records had been sent to a Nigerian polytechnic for processing.
“Our names and certificates have already been processed with the polytechnic,” he said. “I know of two ladies from our school who are already serving now. Once you have money, you can get a Benin Republic certificate, take it to a Nigerian polytechnic, and they will give you a new one that allows you to go for NYSC.”
Another graduate explained that after Benin universities were banned, school officials introduced them to a “special arrangement” with Nigerian polytechnics.
“A school official told us we could still serve through a private polytechnic in Nigeria if we paid a certain amount. He gave us a link to someone at JAMB’s Ikoyi office, who helped with registration,” he said.
A third graduate, Isa, confirmed he had obtained his ND and HND certificates from a private polytechnic in Abia State and was waiting for his NYSC call-up.
“Our names have already been submitted to NYSC,” he said. “We’ll be going for service in the next batch. It’s not a scam, it’s working.”
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How the Fraud Works
A university administrator in Porto Novo admitted being part of the scheme before withdrawing. He explained that after students obtained their Benin degrees, the polytechnics would add their names to the Senate list, which NYSC uses for mobilisation in Nigeria.
“The students pay the polytechnic, which then requests transcripts from us and graduates them as their own,” he revealed. “Since Benin Republic certificates are no longer recognised in Nigeria, this has become the only way for many of them.”
A woman named Wunmi also told Saturday PUNCH that she paid ₦500,000 to a private polytechnic in Ekiti State to help her brother join NYSC through the scheme.
“They assured me there was nothing to worry about. They said many graduates had already gone through this route and were serving,” she said.
Documents obtained by the newspaper showed names of Benin Republic graduates already included in a Nigerian polytechnic’s mobilisation list with fake matriculation numbers and grades.
Reactions
An official of Esfam-Benin University, Femi Simon, denied the allegations, saying the school had no partnership with any Nigerian institution.
“We have never mobilised our students from another school. We are waiting for the Nigerian government’s final decision on Benin and Togo,” he said.
However, the NYSC and the Federal Ministry of Education denied knowledge of the fraud.
NYSC spokesperson Carol Embu said, “We are not aware of this. Foreign graduates are cleared by the Ministry of Education.”
Similarly, Ministry spokesperson Folashade Omoboriowo said such manipulation was impossible due to the system’s digital security.
“We created a portal to capture all HND students for NYSC mobilisation. It’s digitalised, so such fraud cannot happen,” she said.
The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) also denied the claim. The Executive Secretary challenged anyone with evidence to present it for investigation.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the Council of Heads of Polytechnics and Colleges of Technology, Dr Usman Tunga, said he had no knowledge of the fraud but promised to act if proof emerges.
“If such activities are discovered, we will report to the NBTE for proper sanctions,” he said.
The investigation highlights deepening corruption in Nigeria’s higher education system, where desperate graduates exploit loopholes to bypass government bans and secure NYSC mobilisation through fraudulent means.