Commendations have continued to trail Daily Nigerian investigative report which recently unveiled how Nigerian students procure foreign universities degrees for huge sums in less than two months. The report has opened the pandora box with government placing on hold foreign degrees from some African countries.

Latest is the commendation came from the National Orientation Agency which described the report as first-class journalism for national development. A letter of commendation written to the media platform, signed by the director general of the National Orientation Agency, NOA, Lanre Issa-Onilu, described the investigative report as an “example of first-class journalism for national development”.

The letter also stated that journalism should remind Nigerian media platforms to focus on agenda-setting practices rather than adversarial journalism and to be mindful of fairness, objectivity, and balanced reporting in order to strengthen national cohesion and security.

The letter fully reads “I write to sincerely commend your news organisation, DAILY NIGERIAN, and particularly, Mr. Umar Audu, for the outstanding investigative report on fake University degrees/certificates procurement at the Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, Cotonou, Republic of Benin.

“The report published on the December 30, 2023, edition of the DAILY NIGERIAN is a shining example of first-class journalism for national development.

We at the NOA find this very laudable, especially as this reminds the nation’s media organisations of their avowed agenda-setting roles for development rather than adversarial journalism.

“In commending your patriotic and professional efforts, we urge the media practitioners to be mindful of their roles of fairness, objectivity, and balanced reporting to strengthen national cohesion and security.

“The NOA, therefore, reiterates the need for journalists to be diligent and nationalistic In discharging their duties.This quintessential journalism of the Daily Nigerian should serve as a benchmark to the media industry as partners in nation-building.

“Trusting that you will continue to tread this path of excellent journalism, we at the NOA will continue relentlessly promoting your virtues as the hallmark of the Real Nigerian.”

Umarr Audu, an undercover reporter for the Daily Nigerian, published an investigative report titled ‘How Daily Nigerian reporter bagged Cotonou varsity degree in 6 weeks’ on December 30, 2023, exposing the thriving certificate racketeering syndicate in Benin Republic and Togo that specializes in selling university degrees to willing buyers in Nigeria.

The report also revealed that the reporter, who pretended to be a student, purchased the certificate and transcript with the authentic scan code of Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, ESGT within six weeks without leaving Nigeria during the investigation and obtained the certificates at a very low cost.

The reporter also stated that he used the same fake university certificate to file and participated in a mandatory one-year National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, program without being discovered.

Following the publication of the report, the Nigerian Ministry of Education announced its intention to suspend the accreditation and evaluation of degree certificates obtained from universities in the Republic of Benin and Togo.

The federal government also blacklisted some higher education institutions from the two countries, as well as some foreign universities operating in the country, until its ongoing investigations are completed.