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Stealing and mutilation of library books; inadequate/irrelevant (outdated) textbooks; inadequate reading tables and chairs; corruption in the allocation of official bed spaces in student hostels by the managers; influencing of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: Channelkoos
