When Akinlolu Olaniyan, a 2002 Botany graduate of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), applied for his academic transcript in March 2022, he had no idea it would turn into a multi-year battle with no resolution in sight. Two years later, after emails, favours, and even bribes, Olaniyan still does not have his transcript.

Olaniyan told FIJ that he had fulfilled all the requirements for obtaining a transcript, and endured unnecessary delays, but the university would not release the document.

He said he had sent several emails to UNICAL’s transcript office after making a payment of N15,000 on March 15, 2022, but he got response.

Even worse, when he contacted staff members of the university, they told him that someone had to be present to go through the stress of retrieving the transcript or he had to pay a bribe.

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Olaniyan said he sent two of his friends to follow up on the application at the university, but even with their involvement since early 2024, all he got were endless excuses.

In contrast, Olaniyan pointed to his experience with the University of Lagos, where he completed his master’s degree in 2011. He said he applied for his transcript entirely online and received it within two weeks without having to bribe anyone.

To test the bribery theory, Olaniyan said he tried again in March, this time for another transcript he needed for an application to a university in the United Kingdom. He said he contacted one man, someone familiar with how things work at UNICAL.

“He told me to pay N30,000 to the school account and another N35,000 as a bribe to ensure the swift processing of the transcript. I paid it, and the transcript was ready and sent out within weeks,” Olaniyan told FIJ.

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“This is fraud. It’s wickedness. It’s happening right under their watch,” he said.

“I want my N15,000 refunded or my transcript delivered immediately. I can’t understand why getting a document from a Nigerian university should be so difficult unless you’re willing to grease palms.”

FIJ reached out to the University of Calabar on Monday for comments via email. The institution had sent no response at press time.