NUC, Vice Chancellors dismiss bribery allegation

Following allegations of job racketeering amongst other fraudulent activities against university vice chancellors in Nigeria, tge Committee of Vice Chancellors of Federal Universities has said it’s members did not offer bribes to members of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating job racketeering in federal agencies to obtain favour.

This was made known in a recent statement by the Vice Chancellors who said they were eagerly awaiting the conclusion of the work of the committee as they have confidence that it would help them address the issue of manpower shortage in the universities.

Speaking on behalf of the Vice Chancellors when they appeared before the committee, Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, Professor Ishaya Tanko, said that money sent by some Vice Chancellors was meant for a foreign exchange for them to attend an international workshop organised for them in Bamingham, the United Kingdom, beginning on Tuesday, September 5, adding that the publisher did not get his facts correct.

“During our last meeting, we requested for two weeks because some of the universities did not come with some of the documents required from them.

“But we read the very disturbing media publication, and I can say that the Vice Chancellors are not part of that. The Vice Chancellors have not provided any bribe to anybody.

“What I recalled happened was that the next day, there was a workshop for the Vice Chancellors and because there is another international workshop organised for CVCNU, I recalled that a number of people were looking for estacode in form of foreign exchange that will enable them travel.

“I also remember that a number of Vice Chancellors were looking for where to get foreign exchange that is reasonable considering the fact that it is difficult to get DTA to travel. I can confirm that majority of the Vice Chancellors are going to travel between Saturday and Monday because the training os commencing on Tuesday in Bamingham.

“Somebody suggested that gentleman and suggested that Vice Chancellors who wish to source foreign exchange from him can transfer some money to him to get foreign exchange to travel.

“To say that Vice Chancellors are transferring money for bribes is completely out of context and not true. Whoever made the publication refused to find out the fact before going to press. They should have contacted some of the Vice Chancellors to find out the purpose for which they made those transfers.

“I want to assure the committee that we have hope and confidence in this committee because as we speak, I can tell you that more than five programmes of the University of Jos are in danger of not receiving accreditation because of this issue of employment.

“So, we are looking forward to this committee concluding it’s work so that the challenges relating to employment in Nigeria universities are addressed so that we can continue to provide the quality manpower we need for the development of this country,” he said.

On his part, Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC) John Maiyaki described the bribery allegations against university VCs as regretable.

He noted that the NUC has confidence in the mandate given to the committee to help in resolving some crisis in the education sector regarding job racketeering.

He said “ Chair, Honourable members the online social media publication is regrettable, whatever the substance is we do not in any way wish that this will impede on the excellent ties and relationship between this vital arm of government and the Nigerian University system. This is one system that holds a lot of promise for the Nigerian University system.

“In every country university system occupy a special place in the life of a Nation and we believe the task is too Herculean for one sub sector alone to handle and that’s why we look up to the National Assembly, we also look up to the future so that we can together create that game changing opportunity for the country.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi said the committee will not be distracted from the central issue it has been assigned to address.

Yusuf alleged that the publication was aimed at diverting the attention of the committee, saying “as far as we are concerned, we maintained our stand that it is a sponsored publication so that this committee will lose focus from what it is supposed to do.”

The committee chairman also noted that it was not the mandate of the committee to investigate the allegations but to investigate the selling of slots, employment imbalance, job racketeering and many other fraudulent activities that is being done in our public service adding that the committee has written to anti corruption agencies and the EFCC to investigate the link between the account and any member of the committee.

He disclosed that Members of the committee have resolved to take legal action If investigation by the anti graft agencies failed to link the account number to any member of the committee.

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