Journalist Umar Audu opens up on how he got fake Cotonou varsity degree

An undercover journalist, Umar Audu, has revealed how his degree certificate from a Cotonou-based University in Benin Republic was delivered to him like pizza.

Audu got his certificate within six weeks.

Audu, in an investigative report titled, ‘How Daily Nigerian reporter bagged Cotonou varsity degree in 6 weeks’, exposed a booming certificate racketeering syndicate in Benin Republic and Togo, that specialises in selling university degrees to willing buyers in Nigeria.

According to him, the certificate was delivered like pizza after payment was made.

“This certificate will be delivered to you just like you ordered for 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.

He went on to recall how a similar investigation led to the Federal Government taking certain decisions in 2018, adding the practice has continued despite the government’s pronouncements.

Audu received a certificate and transcript with the authentic scan code of Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, ESGT.

He also revealed that he never left the shores of the country during the period of the investigation and got the certificates at a very affordable price.

It was the same fake university certificate that he used to file in and participate in the compulsory one year National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, programme, without being detected.