By Ogaga Ariemu
Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) said it has shut down 62 illegal Degree awarding institutions and a fake NYSC Orientation Camp in the country.
The ICPC Chairman, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, disclosed this to NewsDirect on Tuesday at the one-day youth dialogue on corruption in tertiary institutions organized by the Commission for members of its Anti-corruption Vanguards in Abuja.
Owasanoye, who was represented by Hannatu Muhammad, an ICPC board member, noted that the perpetrators of the crimes have also been prosecuted.
He said many senior officers have been sent to jail for offences such as sexual harassment, production and sales of forged Certificates.
According to him, “There is no gain saying the fact that no nation develops faster than its level and quality of education. It is also truism that corruption destroys quality of education of any nation; hence the resolve by ICPC to fight corruption in the education sector.
“In addition to Anti-corruption Vanguards formed in tertiary institutions across the country, ICPC has conducted System Study and Review in the University system with the view to identifying systemic operations that provide leeway for corruption to thrive.
The ICPC boss said the study had discovered various infractions in the University system, such as bribery, gratification, sexual harassment and sexual inducement
Other are; examination mal-practices, over invoicing, over-inflation
contract values and award of contracts to oneself and cronies.
Also in the list are; sales of sub standard handouts to students, absenteeism, admission racketeering and certificate forgery among others.
“The Commission had since articulated its findings and had recommended effective and workable solutions and had forwarded same to the Minister of Education for implementation”, he said.
Owasanoye further revealed that the Commission had been working with an NGO, Gender Mobile Initiative to develop a Sexual Harassment Policy that would help reduce, if not eliminate all traces of sexual harassment and sexual inducement in the nation’s education institutions.”
He enjoined participants to contribute actively to deliberations to proffer useful and workable solutions to the menace of corruption in the country’s various institutions of learning.
In his key note address, Professor Williams Barnabas, Vice Chancellor, Bingham University listed some corrupt practices in tertiary institutions to include;
Shrinking hours lecturers actually spent in classroom teaching, the decline and debasement of academic standards, use of teaching time for private business and failure of teachers to plan their lessons.
Others are; poor methods of evaluation, aiding and abating examination malpractices and using wrong teaching methods and instructional materials as well as sexual harassment among others.
He said tertiary institutions need leaders that can utilize judiciously abundant human and natural resources to enhance the capacity to compete in the global Institution Students.
He added that, “the Nigerian education system must be well positioned to be able to contribute significantly and actively to national development and that students entering tertiary institution should be thoroughly screened to ensure they have the right maturity and moral background and should be willing to develop life skills instead of cutting comers, sorting Lecturers or blackmailing fellow Students.
“When the higher educational sectors becomes innovative, inventive and are focused on addressing the needs of their immediate community using system based on the degree of excellence and integrity, when all of us courageously, scientifically and truthfully challenge the methods and the administrations and control of these institutions we shall see the rise of a new University Culture based on free learning space, devoid of harassment, bullying, extortion and free of corruption.” the VC stated.