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The Association of African Private Universities (AAPU) has commended the Nigerian Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman for resolving to investigate certificate racketeering in some universities.

The Deputy Secretary of the Association, (West Africa), Salissou Mamoudou, made the commendation in a statement issued in Nouakchott, Mauritania on Saturday.

He said the bold steps taken by the Nigerian Minister of Education to investigate the issue, would go a long way in facilitating and promoting International Certification standards as well as restore the confidence of students and parents.

He said AAPU as an international forum for African Private Universities is ready to support the Minister of education in his determined effort to checkmate the activities of those universities that have no regard for their integrity and that of other sister universities in the African continent.

“AAPU as a forum that encourages and empowers member institutions to become Centre of Excellence in Research and Development, will support whatever measures taken by the Minister to save the reputation of Private universities in Africa,” he said.

While urging the government of Benin Republic to take necessary measures to check the ugly trend, the Deputy Secretary of the association also called on the Nigerian Minister of Education not to use the report as a yardstick for judging other reputable universities in Africa.

“The report should not be a yardstick to brand other universities as the same because there are reputable universities in Benin Republic, ” he said.

He disclosed that AAPU would also dispatch a fact finding committee to Cotonou with a view to finding out what exactly happened after which it would come out with a comprehensive report on the committee’s findings.

He said the committee, which is expected to find out the truth about what happened, would submit its report to the association within the next 10 days to enable it brief officials of the Federal Ministry of Education in Nigeria.

The AAPU Deputy Secretary commended the Daily Nigerian online newspaper for exposing the certificate racketeering syndicate in the Cotonou university adding that the association would meet with the undercover reporter to thank him.

He called on the African Union to recognize the Newspaper by honoring the undercover report for doing “an excellent and patriotic job.