Students graduating from Makerere University in Uganda. (-)

Uganda has said it is not officially aware about reports that Nigeria will likely suspend degree certificates from the country’s universities over fake documents claims.

On January 4, the Federal Government of Nigeria announced plans to suspend accreditation of university degrees from Kenya and Uganda in what it said is an effort to crackdown on fraudulent academic certificates.

This comes after Abuja imposed similar sanction on degrees from neighboring Benin and Togo.

The government crackdown comes after an undercover investigation by journalist Umar Audu, who bagged a degree in Mass Communication from ESGT, a Benin university in Cotonou, within six weeks.

Meanwhile, the head of Uganda’s National Council for Higher Education Mary Okwakol told Daily Monitor newspaper that Nigeria has not officially complained about the issue.

“We have not received any complaint from any individual, institution or authority in Nigeria regarding degree certificates awarded by universities in Uganda,” Okwakol told Monitor.

“One of the core functions of NCHE is to receive and investigate complaints relating to institutions of higher learning and take appropriate action.”

On Thursday, Nigeria’s Minister of Information Tahir Mamman disclosed that the government has already imposed such suspension on Benin and Togo while speaking on Channels Television.

“We are not going to stop at just Benin and Togo. We are going to extend the dragnet to countries like Uganda, Kenya, even Niger here where such institutions have been set up,” Minister Mamman said.

Mr Mamman is quoted by the BBC as saying he has “no sympathy” for individuals who will be affected, adding that they are not victims but “part of the criminal chain that should be arrested”.

Minister Mamman said the measure will protect Nigeria’s employers and the integrity of the country’s qualifications.