The Independent Corruption Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has threatened to invoke its prosecution mandate on authorities of any higher institution that engages in financial indiscipline or recklessness.
Recent allegations of corrupt practices in tertiary institutions had forced the commission to set up a fact-finding machinery known as University System Study and Review (USSR) to investigate allegations bordering on corruption, admission policies, appointment and promotion of staff, and contract awards, among others.
The commission said it found out that there were infractions in all the stated areas and as such, it might soon begin the process of investigating with a view to prosecuting the authorities of any institution found culpable.
The executive member on the board of the commission, Prof.Olu Aina, who dropped the threat while presenting a lecture on the ICPC University Systems Study and Review (USSR), during the first technical committee meeting on the 2013/2014 admission to Most Preferred Degree Awarding Institutions in Uyo said: “From the findings of our USSR, there has been a gross abuse of the post-UTME as well as the phenomenon of discretionary quota in admission by the authorities of the institutions.
“The rules guiding these two must either be tightened or strictly adhered to otherwise; the post-UTME and discretionary admission should be scrapped.
He regretted that the nation’s institutions, which were expected to be at the vanguard of ethical education to correct the ills of the society had become the haven for corruption and corruption related practices.
“It was this that caused the ICPC to invoke its powers under Section 6 (b-d) of its enabling law to set up a team to conduct a comprehensive system study and review of the management and administration of Nigerian universities, which is one of the means of actualizing the preventive mandate of the commission,” he said.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Uyo, Comfort Ekpo, represented in the meeting by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), Prof. Okon Ansa, said over the years, the University of Uyo had ensured that only qualified candidates gained admission into the institution.
