"Study diligently so you can defend your certificate anywhere; unlike me, as I cannot defend mine."
For most graduates, the pinnacle of joy is holding their tertiary education certificate and cherishing it for years to come.
For actress and skit maker Chinwe Splendor, however, this might be short-lived.
Like other graduates, what ought to be Ms Splendor's forever joy turned to turmoil after her infamous interview on Chijioke 'Yanbaba Comedian' Igwendu's Gbam podcast, wherein she disclosed her controversial path to graduation.
Ms Splendor's decision to appear on the podcast and share her life struggles backfired spectacularly after she revealed she slept with lecturers to pass her courses and recounted how she made all her papers without attending lectures for a year.
On the Gbam podcast shared on YouTube on 9 June 2024, the skit maker said she went into prostitution to support her university education due to her family's financial hardship.
Hours after her controversial interview, the management of the yet-to-be-identified university from which she graduated in Anambra State ordered the revocation of her certificate.
Although skit maker Splendor did not mention the name of the University she graduated from--information on her Facebook page (Chinwe Splendor with 1.7 followers) showed she graduated from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Awka, Anambra State.
The video has ignited social media, with many criticising the skit maker and others blaming the university system.
Podcast analysis
Ms Splendour, a Mass Communication graduate, said she engaged in 'hook-ups' (A Nigerian term for prostitution) when she had no other way to support herself as an undergraduate.
"When I got admission into a university here in Anambra State [which I'll not name], there was no money; as I already said, my family was large, and there was no money. My parents were not well off. I went into prostitution and started associating with men to get my school fees. I'll advise parents who do not have the money to train their children in school to let them stay back because the university goes beyond paying acceptance fees and other expenses.
"When I gained admission, I was managing until a point where there was no other way, and I had to go into prostitution. I have slept with many men in Anambra State. Sometimes, I didn't attend lectures because I was too tired from the previous day's stress. Along the line, I looked for a way to cover up and started sleeping with lecturers. There was a particular year that I didn't attend lectures, but I passed all my papers. Although it wasn't easy, I didn't want to drop out. I slept with many lecturers and graduated with a good grade," she added.
She also claimed to know lecturers who could be easily seduced. According to her, she would visit the lecturers' offices, seduce them, and then sleep with them.
The skit maker advised the undergraduate not to follow her example. "Study diligently so you can defend your certificate anywhere, unlike me, as I cannot defend mine."
Aftermath
Ms Splendor posted a video on her Facebook page Tuesday stating that her alma mater sent her an email ordering the return of her certificate within forty-eight hours of receiving it.
She expressed her pain over the situation and questioned why she was being asked to return a certificate she had 'earned'.
She claimed the school authorities demanded the return of the certificate because they believed she didn't deserve it.
She said: "I want to share something with you guys. The university I attended sent me an email demanding I return my certificate within 48 hours. I want to ask if this is right. That certificate, I earned it. I worked hard for it. Why should I return it? They emailed me to return a certificate for which I had worked so hard. I know many of my coursemates would also have to return their certificates. I'm going through a lot. I'm depressed.
"But I'm trying so hard to stay strong for myself. I'm saying I earned this certificate, and I'm reborn now. I have repented. I have changed. All these things are in the past now. They are all in the past, for crying out loud. Let the past be in the past. I'm broken."
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The skit maker insisted she would not return the certificate, stating that he worked hard for it and earned it.
Furthermore, Ms Splendor, during her infamous interview, alleged that all Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of real estate companies in Anambra State had engaged in sexual relations with all the female realtors in the state. She also claimed that 95 per cent of female realtors in the state were into hookups.
However, real estate CEOs and female realtors in viral footage refuted the allegations. They maintained that Ms Splendor was not a registered realtor of any real estate company in Anambra State.
After the podcast went viral, the host was arrested over Ms Splendor's allegations against the real estate CEOs. His wife (name undisclosed) confirmed her husband's arrest in a video shared on Aisha Odogwu Bubu's Facebook page Thursday.
Also, a real estate company in the state, Pool King Global Investment, terminated Yanbaba Comedian's ambassador deal over the controversial podcast with Ms Splendor, who claimed she had slept with all the CEOs of real estate companies in the state.
