The
Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
Commission (ICPC), Mr. Ekpo Nta, yesterday said sexual harassment tops more
than 50 corrupt practices identified in Nigerian universities.
He also
said operators of more than 20 illegal universities in the country will soon be
arrested and prosecuted.
Nta
spoke at a briefing in Abuja at the presentation of a pilot study on the
ongoing ICPC comprehensive Systems Study and Review of Nigerian Universities,
being done in collaboration with the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The
Study Review panel, headed by NUC’s former Executive Secretary, Prof. Peter
Okebukola, also had a commissioner in ICPC, Prof. Olu Aina as one of the
members.
Nta
listed over 50 corrupt practices being perpetuated in the universities.
Some of
the corrupt practices are non-adherence to the carrying capacity of the
National Universities Commission (NUC); non-adherence to rules and regulations
guiding admission; political interference in the admission process of the
University; inadequate funding which encourages Universities to engage in over
enrolment of students in order to generate IGR to run the Institution; lack of
proper monitoring and the absence of punitive measures taken against the
University by NUC; sale of examination questions and other examination-related
information; gratification and inducement to manipulate award of marks/grades;
swapping of grades; writing of examination by proxy; direct cheating in
examination; and delay in the release of results
Others
are delay of students from graduating due to poor record keeping and deliberate
victimisation by officials; manipulation of internal examination processes;
delay in take-off of lectures and non-completion of syllabus by lecturers;
non-adherence to students/lecturer ratio results in over-crowding of classes;
lack of commitment to work by the lecturers; continued defiance by institutions
of the ban on satellite programmes/campuses by NUC
The
list also includes frequent strike action by staff and students interrupting
the academic calendar; sales of lecture notes, hand-outs and text-books;
non-provision of adequate and appropriate practical apparatus; late opening and
early closing of library
Stealing
and mutilation of library books; inadequate/irrelevant (outdated) textbooks; inadequate
reading tables and chairs; corruption in the allocation of official bed spaces
in student hostels by the managers; influencing of allocation by students
engaging in gratification and bribery of staff; sale of examination questions
and other examination-related information
The
ICPC chairman said: “Sexual harassment seems to rank extremely very high among
corrupt practices uncovered in our universities. Our report is based on the
quantum of petitions we have received on this corrupt practice. We are emphasising
this because sexual harassment has to do with the immediate challenge we need
to address.
“We
have uncovered many corrupt practices in our universities.
“You
will be surprised to find out that even the allocation of space has become a
racket in some universities we have looked into.”
Nta
spoke on what informed how ICPC and NUC decided to go for the system review
He
said: “Based on intelligence, petitions, complaints and public comments against
the University system in Nigeria , ICPC invoked its statutory mandate derived
from Section 6 (b-d) of its enabling law to undertake a comprehensive Systems
Study and Review of Nigerian Universities. Systems’ Study and Review is one of
the activities of the Commission designed to actualize the preventive mandate
of the Commission.
“The
University Systems Study and Review is a fact-finding and problem-solving
strategy that involves the examination of current policies, practices,
procedures, behaviours and systems of public bodies to determine if they aid
corruption and to what extent they are prone to do so.
“The
report of such exercise is expected to be reviewed with the institution/agency
involved for implementation.
Source:
The Nation
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