My Cotonou Varsity Degree Delivered Like Pizza – Undercover Reporter

Journalist Umar Audu uncovered how easy it is to get a certificate from a university in Benin Republic within six weeks.

He exposed a network in Benin Republic and Togo selling degrees to Nigerians, calling it a “thriving certificate racketeering syndicate.”

Audu compared getting the certificate to ordering pizza, emphasizing the simplicity of the process. Despite a previous investigation in 2018, such activities continue, prompting Audu to explore further.

Hear him:“This certificate will be delivered to you just like you ordered a pizza or something and you give them your location and it is delivered to you. That was what motivated me to conduct this investigation,” he said on Channels Television’s Morning Brief.

Read Also: FG Disaccredits Certificates From Benin Republic, Togo Varsities

“We have done a similar investigation in the past in 2018, which led to the government taking certain decisions. These things keep going on despite pronouncements by the Federal Government.”

The undercover reporter managed to obtain a transcript from the university, complete with a genuine scan code. The prices for the transcript and certificate were reasonable. The institution in question was Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, ESGT, Benin Republic.

As a result of Audu’s inquiry, the Federal Government stopped assessing and accrediting degrees from Togo and Benin Republic. The certificate showed that the reporter started the program in 2018 and graduated on September 5, 2022. He then used the fake certificate to join the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) without detection.