A good academic thesis, otherwise referred to as project, is required for the award of a degree in Nigerian universities. While many final-year students make efforts to present their thesis to various supervisors for approval, others pay mercenaries to write for them. This anomaly has become a trend in the university environment, Daily Trust on Sunday reports.
In May 2019, this newspaper published an undercover story title; “How students pay mercenaries to write final year project.”
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The previous story was triggered by a profile of ‘Excellent Service Providers’ who advertised an online service for students that would want to pay for their coursework, thesis and dissertation writing.
Our fresh quest into the world of this new circle of “project mercenaries” revealed that the activities of these ghostwriters have become rampant, especially in the four institutions visited, namely, University of Lagos, University of Abuja, University of Jos and Bayero University, Kano.
Our undercover visits to these four universities revealed how this illegal act is prominent among students, thereby turning the reputable institutions into hotbeds of cheating and plagiarism.
Also discovered was that the operators of this industry, mostly men and few women, are predominantly holders of university degrees in various fields, who could not secure jobs after their mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme.
In UniAbuja, ‘project mercenaries’ melt into photocopiers
Daily Trust on Sunday’s first journey into this story began with a phone call to a friend who recently graduated from the University of Abuja, asking him the veracity of a claim that majority of final year students pay mercenaries to do their research work.
Surprisingly, his answer was even more daring than anyone could expect.
“It is very rampant now. Majority of the students don’t write projects by themselves; they prefer to engage the services of mercenaries, or plagiarise projects if they don’t have money to pay.
“To be frank with you, in my class, only two of us did the final year project by ourselves.
“Before now, you hardly saw mercenaries within the school premises, but nowadays, they freely operate. If you are in doubt, go to Adelabu,” he said.
Adelabu is a popular business centre named after a former vice chancellor of the university, Professor James Adelabu.
Adelabu is a scene that has many visitors, where students, typists, photocopiers operate in shanties and open shops that connect the self-made-researchers with their clients. The place was very busy when our reporter visited on November 27.
From a corner of a soft drink shop, it was noticed that students, mostly young women, trooped in and out at regular intervals. Out of curiosity, our reporter went into the shop, holding a project file.
“What can I do for you sir?” The shop owner asked as he and another young woman sitting beside him turned, looking at me with suspicion. I handed him my national identity card slip to photocopy. I sat right behind them, reading through some jottings in my empty file.
Realising that I was too busy with my file, their discussion continued in low tune. After a while, my photocopy was ready and he handed it over to me. I deliberately gave him N1,000 to deduct his service fee.
As my plan worked perfectly, he was short of change, so he went in search of that from the neighboring shops, while I took the advantage and engaged the lady in discussion, having noticed from her project file that she’s from the Sociology Department.
I introduced myself as a master’s student of the Political Science Department and a civil servant who’s too much engaged with office work and looking for a good hand that would handle my thesis.
In a laughing mood, she replied, “Even the undergraduates seldom do their projects now. To be frank with you, it is this man handling my project and those of my friends.
“He is very good, though he charges a lot. I actually feel unexcited and pointless wasting my brain and time doing what the school would not use at the end of the day.
“In other climes, projects are research done for companies and government institutions on specific areas to improve or solve specific problems, but here in Nigeria, students will suffer and the school will dump the project. So what is the point of wasting time to do it?”
Midway into our conversation, the project guru returned and handed me my change. I packed my file and headed into the next photocopy shop. Surprisingly, he stared intently until I came out of the shop.
He immediately rushed to me and asked, “This lady said you are running a master’s programme and you are looking for someone that can handle your project well, right?” I replied, “Yes, but she said your charges are premium, that I may not afford it; that’s why I looked for an affordable option.
“You know, master’s theses are always difficult to do because the lecturers don’t compromise them. Can you pay N90,000?” I said no. “But have you chosen a topic?” he asked. I replied, “No, but I am working on it.”
Holding the file was a bait for me to attract more mercenaries. In the middle of our bargain, I saw two of his colleagues shuttle restlessly, waiting to take up the job should he fail to strike a deal.
The other person who wanted to take advantage of the situation also had his business centre a few meters away.
Finally, the deal was struck and we agreed on N65,000, and without wasting time, he logged on the internet and downloaded over 300 project topics.
“Go and pick six topics so that we work on them before taking it to your supervisor. I can finish the projects in six weeks, but that depends on how the supervisor cooperates,” he said.
He charged N2,000 for the printout and promised to start working on the topics I chose as soon as I returned them to him.
To have a variety of views, I went to the other shop and his rival ‘mercenary’ beat down the price to N60,000 and promised that the project would be original and would also train and guide me on how to defend it perfectly.
The first mercenary said he would do the printing and binding all at his own cost, that is within the N65,000 he charged.
He had said, “We are not only involved with final year projects or theses but class assignments and sometimes help the students to get certain grades in their academic performance.”
In BUK, students pay ‘consultancy firms,’ individuals to handle projects
In BUK, many students nowadays live with the belief that they have no problem with projects as they can pay ‘consultancy firms’ and individuals to handle them.
Inside the institution, places of photocopy also made it easier for the students to connect with the ‘ project mercenaries.
Aliyu Sani is among those who own internet cafés that feast on the millions of naira students spend to get their projects done.
“The issue is not our own alone. I know we are doing projects for many students, but it is due to so many factors. Even if we don’t do it for them, there are many projects on the internet for them to just pay and download,” he said.
He said the rate they charged for projects varied from one subject or topic to another, adding that science courses are hard to find on the internet, and as such, remain the most expensive and difficult.
In addition, Sani said that some topics, irrespective of discipline, are not free, even on the internet, “therefore, that factor also makes the charges differ.”
“Whenever they (students) bring their topics I have to first of all search the internet to find whether it is free or not, so that I will decide how much to charge them.
“If it is free I charge from N10,000 to N15,000. If it is not free, it means I have to buy it there too, so I charge N20,000 and above. And you know they (students) also vary; some have issues with money while some don’t, so it also depends,” he cleared.
Kabiru Ahmad, known as KB, who owns a printing press inside BUK, said that over the years he had been doing projects for many people, and that has opened his eyes into many fields of study.
He said although he read Chemistry in the university, he could do projects in almost all the courses. He said that with the help of the internet he did projects and assignments for even master’s students.
“I wonder how it is happening that way, honestly. I do assignments and projects for even master’s students and they turn out well. There has never been a complaint that there was a mistake or failure in the assignments and projects I did for students.
“However, sometimes they may give you a wrong topic or wrong question,” he observed.
Explaining further, Ahmad blamed lecturers for the problem as they don’t pay much attention to the project, a situation that gives the students the opportunity to engage in this practice.
He added that not all the students can do what they are doing, no matter how conversant they are with their phones and the internet. He said there were several sites on the internet where they could browse and download projects for free, even if they are for sale.
“We have been into this for many years; that is why we have many ways of getting things done. Many students who don’t have money to pay wanted to do it the way we are doing but they couldn’t. Among the students, there are people who do projects for their colleagues but not as accurately as ours,” he said.
He, however, said they encountered many challenges while doing the projects, including the failure to get the exact topic on the internet, as well as failure of some students to defend their works before to supervisors.
“Sometimes we find it difficult to get the topic as exact as it is from the lecturers. So we have to make some changes to fit it. Also, sometimes students may not get the courage to explain some points to their supervisors, and that makes them understand that it is copy and paste, and they may end up changing the topic.
“Other challenges we face are when the lecturers decide to make some changes among the variables of the topic or make some corrections that we cannot do; that one too seriously affects the project. So there are challenges but we always strive to endure since it is our biggest way of earning,” he said.
Another person who chose not to be named said doing projects for students had taken a new face as some are doing it in the form of consultancy.
He said that even in India, while running his master’s programme, he did projects for many people, adding that it has now reached PhD students.
He explained that his consultancy company now has a segment that handles projects and research for students and companies, revealing that it has become a way of making money for many people, especially on the internet.
However, some of the students who patronise the project developers offered various reasons for doing it, including the fact that the projects are just abandoned without any serious considerations from the schools.
“I can’t waste my time on something that will not be considered by the school or government. If we do the project they just give scores anyhow, sometimes below our performance. Also, the project is very heavy, sometimes four credit units; and if you don’t score well it will affect your result. That is why many prefer to hire professionals to do it,” a student in Kano said.
When our correspondent visited the University of Jos and some other high institutions in the town, a project writer who did not want his name in print, told Daily Trust on Sunday that he had been in the business for about seven years now.
“I started writing projects in 2016. When friends and other people realised that I could write undergraduate projects, they kept coming to engage my services. Many students cannot write projects themselves.
“Whoever I write a project for sends more people to seek my service. I have become known by many students,” he said.
Asked how many projects he had written so far for students, he said, “From the time I started till now, I cannot ascertain the number of people I have written projects for. They are numerous. Oftentimes they call and we bargain on the price. Once we strike a deal, I will ensure that I meet up the deadline. In some cases, I collect N20,000 and sometimes below, depending on the student.
“What pushes me towards doing this kind of work is to have something to do to earn a living. After I graduated, there was no work to do and I felt that it is better I continue this work than to stay ideal. Getting a job has not been easy.
“I write projects for students from different institutions. Though I live in Jos, students from other cities send their work to me.”
Another project writer, who also has been in the system for over a decade, said lack of job was what compelled him to start doing the job, explaining that one must do something to earn a living.
“To make a living you have to start doing something. What is available is what you will utilize; that is why I have to start writing projects since I have the knowledge.
“I have been doing this job for many years. When students bring a topic, we start the work immediately. I give them a timeframe within which I can finish the work. I can collect N15,000 or more,” he said.
A UniJos female graduate who engaged someone to write a project for her told Daily Trust on Sunday that it wasn’t because she didn’t understand how to write a project but she had been a very busy person and could not get the time to write it.
She said, “I believe I can write the project, but because of my tight schedules it will be difficult for me to do it. I am a busy person. Since there are people who can do it and be paid, I just have to engage someone. It is something that one can do. People now conclude that since there are people who can do it, why not give them so that you can do other things.”
Our correspondent discovered that those writing projects for students don’t have any connection with the lecturers, adding that they can create or adjust project topics for students.
In UniLag, project writers operate from tutorial centres
A visit to the University of Lagos revealed that at some tutorial centres, students connect with not only those from the university but those studying abroad.
One of the mercenaries in the campus who pleaded anonymity said, “We use our talents to do the research work for them (students) and they pay us in return.
“The amount we charge depends on the topic, department and the level of degree: undergraduate, master’s or PhD programme.
“I have lost count of the number of projects I wrote, cutting across different fields. I have been in this business for many years. The students we tutor link us with more clients every year. For me, it is a lucrative venture,” he said.
A young woman who graduated from the University of Lagos and also did her master’s degree there nine years ago told Daily Trust on Sunday that the person who helped her with her project was very good.
“The guy was very good. In fact, that is what he does as a career. He charges, but if you pay him, he would produce a great job. He would also sit with you and coach you so that you will be able to defend the work,” she said.
Another student also said there was no significant value to the research, apart from having to score a grade and graduate out of the school. “This happens not only with those studying in Nigerian universities. I know two people who went abroad to study Criminology and got someone who did their projects through me. I was the one who connected them with the guy, and he did the project for them.
The mercenaries mostly assist students with the theoretical aspects, as well as the analysis. Some even help with data collection, depending on the arrangement and payment,’’ he said.
Daily Trust on Sunday also spoke with one of those who help students with projects in the University of Lagos but did not want his name mentioned. He said he charged from N35, 000 to N100, 000, depending on the nature and type of the project.
“We charge less for undergraduates students while we charge from N50,000 to N100,000 for master’s students and even more for those doing their PhD.
“I mostly interact with my clients online or through phone; only one or two physical contacts. I don’t print their projects, I will do the work and send it to their emails. I used to have clients studying abroad,” he added.
Dr Rabe Gambo of the History Department, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina, described the phenomenon as an academic crime that has become rampant, adding that it has existed for a very long time.
“You know, access to information technology has brought a lot of changes. It is one of the precipitants because students can now have access to any serious research across the world. So it is very difficult to control these mercenaries or the students engaging them to do their projects,” he said.
Asked whether lecturers use any software that detects plagiarism in order to curtail the practice, he said, “We were trained along this line, but our major problem is that the system doesn’t comply sometimes. You can also have such software that can give you the percentage of plagiarism in any academic work.”
He said no research is without some borrowed ideas, but it must be well attributed. “Plagiarism is an academic crime anywhere in the world, and to end this, our institutions must make it common for lecturers/supervisors to apply the software or gadgets that would detect such crimes,” he said.
He also advised the institutions to be more serious in training students on the concept of research and how they can legally build on existing works, using academic procedure of acknowledgement.
This report was supported by MacArthur Foundation through the Daily Trust Foundation.
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