Your mistake might be due to language barriers, Togolese varsity’s founder replies Nigeria’s Education Minister
*As lack of transparency on part of Nigeria’s investigative panel revealed *Togo’s Ministry of Education debunked claims by Nigeria’s Minister – Paniel *Demands Nigeria government reverses its “unhealthy decision” *As Togolese school head assures parents, students, others of solution *Awaits Federal Government of Nigeria to furnish Nigerian publics with list of institutions of higher education accredited by the Togolese Government *Informs INSTITUT SUPERIEUR BILINGUE LIBRE DU TOGO – IBLT is recognized to award degrees
By BASHIR ADEFAKA
Moreover, contrary to the Minister’s stand that only three universities in Togo are accredited, the ministry of education of Togo, when contacted by our Media Team after the press conference of the Nigeria’s Minister of education, debunked this statement and informed us that the committee that visited Togo’s ministry misinterpreted what it was told. May be it was due to language barriers.
The last may not have been heard about the Nigerian controversy regarding crisis it created against the accreditation and legitimacy of degree certificates obtained by Nigerians students from Republics of Benin and Togo as a private university in the Republic of Togo adds its voice to the conversation.
In the latest update, this time coming from Togo, the Presidency of the Institut Superieur Bilingue Libre du Togo (IBLT) expressed surprise that the government of Nigeria, despite not having revealed details of its findings, review and recommendations from the various meetings its panel had with stakeholders in Benin and Togo for them to know which institutions are indicted, went ahead and made a generalized declaration that could have devastating effect on Nigerians holding degree certificates from the countries.
Some of the francophone universities, reported in an investigated report by The DEFENDER and circulated across West Africa and globally in the last 48 hours dated August 26, 2024 and headlined “{INVESTIGATIONS} The half-truth, politics of Nigerian Minister’s declaration on citizens studying in Benin, Togo”, have insisted that the Nigerian side probably did not cross-check facts of information it used or it was merely feeding the county’s public with half-truth or simply playing politics with future of Nigerian youths studying in those countries.
Report of this globalized multi-lingual newspaper, however, took a step further to reveal how owners of private universities in Nigeria were also culpable in the crisis as concerned registrar of one of the affected foreign universities’ confirmed.
Speaking in a statement sent to The DEFENDER on Tuesday August 27, 2024, Professor AMAN Danjuma Paniel of the Department of Education Management, Prowess University, Delaware, USA, and President-Founder, IBLT, Togo, referred to the statement released by Professor Tahir Mamman, President-Founder of IBLT University providing short but detailed educative information that, according to him, eluded the panel that the Nigerian Government sent on that diplomatic mission of resolving issues surrounding a detected certificate scam exposed in Republic of Benin.
“The above statements and decisions are coming after the Federal Government has in January 2024 SUSPENDED EVALUATION AND ACCREDITATION of degree certificates from Togo following an incident that happened in Benin Republic, not in Togo. Logically, the committee that was set up by the federal ministry of education of Nigeria was to investigate and offer recommendations after which the suspension could be lifted.
“Surprisingly, the government of Nigeria has until today not revealed the details of their findings, review and recommendations so that the stakeholders could know which institutions are indicted.
“Moreover, contrary to the Minister’s stand that only three universities in Togo are accredited, the ministry of education of Togo, when contacted by our Media Team after the press conference of the Nigeria’s Minister of education, debunked this statement and informed us that the committee that visited Togo’s ministry misinterpreted what it was told. May be it was due to language barriers.
“What the committee was told was, and I quote: “we have only three institutions that have the status of a university. The French system of higher education ranks the institutions of higher education in this order: 1. University consists of institutes, schools and centres; 2. Institute can have schools and centres under it; 3. High School with departments; 4. Centres for professional training. All of the above are degree awarding institutions,” he explained.
Speaking further, Professor Paniel said, “The ministry (in Togo) equally explained to the committee that the institutes should not bear the name “university” which partners of these institutions from Nigeria add to the acronym of these Togo institutions.
“Example, for purpose of publicity, a student recruitment agent from Nigeria would want to add the word “university” to our acronym IBLT and this will read “IBLT University”. From which you now have: IHERIS University, INTA University, and ESGIS University etc.”
For the purpose of clarifications, the statement knocked Nigeria for mistaking the francophone country’s government in taking such a generalised decision, adding that, “The decision automatically lacks merit to sail through. No regulatory impact Analysis (RIA) was conducted.”
For the purpose of clarifications, the statement knocked Nigeria for mistaking the francophone country’s government in taking such a generalised decision, adding that, “The decision automatically lacks merit to sail through. No regulatory impact Analysis (RIA) was conducted.”
It said, “However, while we wait for the Federal Government of Nigeria to furnish the Nigeria publics with the list of accredited institutions of higher education accredited by the Togolese Government, we want to state categorically here that INSTITUT SUPERIEUR BILINGUE LIBRE DU TOGO – IBLT, is a private institution of higher education in Togo, fully licensed by the Togolese Government to award degrees in various courses accredited from time to time for the instate (see below copies of license and accreditation).
“As a licensed institution, we can introduce additional courses for which we can provide facilities for from time to time. In the French system of high education we can do regularisation of courses we introduced but yet to be accredited by the ministry of education.
“For instance, the ministry in Togo addressed a correspondence to us to come over for regularisation of some courses we are running. We were given 19th of July 2024 for that. There is no way you compare two systems of education you don’t have mastery of. This aspect eluded the committee.
“The license and accreditation of our courses have been communicated from time to time to the federal Ministry of Education, through diplomatic channels which also permitted our graduates from Nigeria to participate in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.”
Professor Aman Paniel appealed to his school’s stakeholders afterwards. “Therefore, we seek the cooperation and understanding of the parents, students and Alumni while the Presidency seeks for solutions for the reversing of the unhealthy decision taken by the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
