Search Page

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has asked the Minister of Education to "urgently probe alleged stealing of teachers" salaries and benefits in several Federal Government colleges across the country, and punish suspected perpetrators.

The National Universities Commission (NUC) has announced the existence of no fewer than forty-one illegal universities. These institutions have existed for years and fleeced unsuspecting members of the public of their hard earned resources in the guise of providing them with higher education.

During an interview, the Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) discussed the problems and undercurrents of the nation's education sector and the way forward. He strongly criticized the irregularities in the system and said that fighting corruption in its totality must be a priority.

The Nigerian Minister of State for Education has discharged bribery allegations of 40 per cent (N6.8bn) kick-back from 4th quarter allocation of 104 Unity Colleges from principals of schools. The Minister claimed that the report was baseless and false.

The Kogi State Government claims to have uncovered 800 non-existing primary schools and at least 3,000 ghost teachers on its pay roll during a recent screening exercise. The Nigerian Accountant-general who informed journalists in Lokoja of this, said that such expenditures had been draining government coffers and that counteractive measures would be taken.

The Acting Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) has focused the commission's attention on purging the Nigerian university system of the menace of corruption with the cooperation and collaboration of the National Universities Commission (NUC). This will entail a comprehensive system study and review of the country's institutions.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, in conjunction with the National Universities Commission, NUC, is set to beam its searchlight on corrupt practices in the Nigerian universities over a chain of petitions received by the anti-graft commission. Abuses highlighted include admission processes, conduct of examinations, appointments and promotion of staff, and manipulation and falsification of academic records such as transcripts.

Campus politics dates back to 1925 when African students schooling in London formed a union known as the West African Students' Union (WASU), headed by a Nigerian as the first president of the union. Inflation of financial figures for projects, misappropriation of funds and bribery by school management to okay anti-students' management decisions have become the order of the day among most student union leaders.

The findings of visitation panels to federal universities in Nigeria have been released, along with a white paper responding to them. The reports have accused leaders and councils in most of the 26 universities of abusing autonomy, and some vice-chancellors may lose their jobs for deliberately flouting university statutes.