For most graduates, the greatest joy is holding their post-secondary diploma in their hands and cherishing it for years to come.
But for actress and skit writer Chinwe Splendour, this may not last for long.
Like other graduates, what was meant to be eternal joy for Splendour was thrown into disarray when he revealed his controversial journey to graduation during an infamous interview with Chijioke’s “Yambaba Comedian” Igwendu on his podcast, “Gbam.”
Splendour's decision to appear on a podcast and talk about her life struggles backfired spectacularly when she revealed that she slept with her lecturer in order to pass her class and wrote her entire thesis without attending lectures for a year.
In a Gbam podcast shared on YouTube on June 9, 2024, the skit artist said her family’s financial difficulties led her to turn to prostitution to earn money for her university tuition.
Hours after the controversial interview, the administration of the university she graduated from in Anambra state, which has yet to be named, ordered the cancellation of her diploma.
Although skit writer Splendor did not reveal the name of the university she graduated from, information on her Facebook page (Chinwe Splendor, 1.7 followers) reveals that she graduated from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State.
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The video sparked a huge reaction on social media, with many criticising the makers of the skit and some pointing fingers at the university system.
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Splendour, a graduate of the School of Mass Communication, said she engaged in “hook-up” (a Nigerian word for prostitution) when she had no other means of earning a living as an undergraduate.
“When I joined college in Anambra State [which I’ll not name]I didn't have money. As I said, my family was big and we didn't have money. My parents were not rich. I started prostituting myself and dating men to earn money for schooling. I would advise parents who don't have the money to educate their children in school to keep them there because the university will pay more than just the entrance fees and other costs.
“When I got admitted, I managed to get by but when I had no other option I had to turn to prostitution. I slept with many men in Anambra. Sometimes I was too tired to attend lectures due to the stress of the previous day. After some time, I found an excuse and started sleeping with my lecturers. There were years when I didn't attend lectures but I passed all my exams. It wasn't easy but I didn't want to drop out. I slept with many lecturers and graduated with good grades,” she added.
She also claimed to know lecturers who she could easily seduce. According to her, she would visit the lecturers' offices, seduce them and sleep with them.
The skit's author advised undergraduates not to follow his example: “Study hard so that you can qualify anywhere like me, because no one can qualify like me.”
Related article: Sex for grades documentary: BBC makes journalist “victim” in media coverage
aftermath
Splendor posted a video on her Facebook page on Tuesday, saying she received an email from her alma mater ordering her to return her diploma within 48 hours of receiving it.
She was upset by the situation and questioned why she was being asked to return the certificate she had “earned.”
She alleged that school authorities believed she was ineligible and asked for her certificate back.
Watch the video
She said: “I just wanted to let you all know that I received an email from my university asking me to return my certificate within 48 hours. I want to know if this is the right thing to do. It is my certificate. I worked hard to get it. Why should I return it? I worked hard to get it and now they are sending me an email asking me to return it. I know that many of my classmates also have to return their certificates. I am feeling very sad and depressed.
“But I'm trying so hard to be strong for myself. I earned this certificate and I'm saying I'm born again. I've repented. I've changed. All of this is in the past now. It's in the past now. Let the past be the past. I'm broken.”
The skit writer insisted that he would not return the certificate, claiming that it was earned through hard work.
Moreover, in his infamous interview, Splendour alleged that all the CEOs of real estate companies in Anambra were having sexual relations with all the female real estate agents in the state, and that 95 percent of the female real estate agents in the state were engaged in buddy-with-sex relationships.
However, the CEO of the real estate company and the female real estate agent featured in the video denied the allegations, claiming that Splendor was not a registered real estate agent with any real estate agency in Anambra.
Watch the video
The presenter was arrested after the podcast went viral over Splendour’s allegations against the real estate company CEO.His wife, whose name has not been disclosed, confirmed her husband’s arrest on Thursday in a video shared on Aisha Odogwu Bubu’s Facebook page.
Watch the video
And the state's real estate company, Poolking Global Investments, has terminated its ambassadorial contract with Yanbaba comedian Splendour after his controversial podcast show claimed he had slept with every CEO of real estate companies in the state.
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