Business
ICPC To Establish Anti-Corruption Units In Universities
to monitor daily official and personal transactions
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Professor Bolaji Owasanoye SAN, OFR, has hinted at the Commission’s plan to establish Anti-Corruption and Transparency Units (ACTUs) in private universities across the country.
Professor Owasanoye disclosed this at a One-Day Youth Dialogue on Corruption in Tertiary Institutions held on Tuesday at the Commission’s headquarters.
The ICPC Boss, who was represented by Honourable Hannatu Mohammed, a board member of the Commission, said that the essence of establishing the ACTUs “is principally to monitor daily official and personal transactions among public officials and ensure that such transactions are of the utmost level of integrity, devoid of corrupt practices.”
Professor Owasanoye while commending members of the Students’ Anti-corruption Vanguards (SAVs), noted that their contributions had helped the management of their various institutions to effectively reduce corruption in the education system.
He said in addition to the SAVs formed in tertiary institutions across the country, ICPC had also conducted a System Study and Review in the university system with the view to identifying systemic operations that provided leeway for corruption to thrive.
“The study had discovered various infractions in the university system, such as bribery, gratification, sexual harassment, sexual inducement, examination malpractices, over-invoicing, over-inflation of contract values, award of contracts to oneself and cronies, sales of sub-standard handouts to students, absenteeism, admission racketeering, certificate forgery, etc. The Commission had since articulated its findings and had recommended effective and workable solutions forwarded to the Minister of Education for implementation.”
He further noted that the intervention of ICPC in the Education sector has led to the prosecution of some corrupt officials for sexual harassment and sales of forged certificates as well as the closure of about 62 illegal degree awarding mills and one fake NYSC orientation camp.
