A Daily Nigeria investigation by Umar Audu has shone a stark light on a racket offering express degrees from Cotonou universities, raising serious questions about academic integrity and accreditation loopholes.
Audu went undercover, posing as a willing buyer eager to bypass the usual academic rigmarole. The agent, like a serpent peddling forbidden fruit, offered tempting options: a degree in just one year, or even a month! Mass communication from Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies (ESGT) seemed the easiest target, familiar ground for potential scrutiny.
Fees were outlined, a meticulous breakdown encompassing tuition, evaluations, permits, stamps, and even transport. Money exchanged hands (on December 27, 2022, mind you), and as promised, February 17, 2023, saw the arrival of an ESGT certificate and transcript at Audu’s desk.
Except, there was a glitch. The documents claimed Audu was enrolled in 2018 and graduated in September 2022 – news to the undercover reporter! A corrected version arrived later, but doubts lingered.
Then came the clincher: a scannable code on the transcript. It led to the ESGT website, irrefutable proof of Audu’s (fabricated) academic pedigree. ESGT, established in 2009 and apparently accredited in Benin and Nigeria, boasted over 30 courses.
But the rot, Audu discovered, ran deeper. Nigerian racketeers were in cahoots with ESGT top brass, the registrar and English section coordinator conveniently being our own. An extra fee secured that all-important evaluation letter, the passport to NYSC.
Surprisingly, the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Education confirmed ESGT’s accreditation, even greenlighting 51 graduates (including our phantom reporter) for NYSC, equating their degrees to those from Nigerian universities.
This shocking exposé lays bare a sophisticated scam, a degree mill churning out questionable qualifications like counterfeit currency. It’s a stark reminder of the need for vigilance in safeguarding academic integrity and tightening accreditation loopholes. The education system, it seems, has become fertile ground for con artists, and Daily Nigeria deserves credit for shining a light on this murky corner.