Reps Want Committee To Probe Allegations Of Corruption In Varsities

The House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Education to investigate allegations of corruption in the process of accrediting programmes in Nigerian Universities and its attendant’s effects.

The committee is to determine if the condition of physical facilities and teaching staff meets the benchmark and minimum academic standards of programmes in Nigerian universities.

It is also to find out other approved accreditation guidelines and report back to the house within four weeks.

The resolutions followed a motion by Rep. Abayomi Kabir (APC-Lagos), which was unanimously adopted without debate when put to vote by the Speaker, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal.

The motion was entitled: “Allegation of corruption in process of accrediting programmes in Nigerian universities and its attendant effects’’.

Kabir alleged that there had been incessant allegations of imbalance and fraudulent practices against the National Universities Commission (NUC) in the process of accreditation of courses in Nigeria universities.

He said that in spite the fact that the education sector had the highest budgetary allocation in 2013 Appropriation Act; Nigerians had not felt the impact of such allocation.

This, he noted, was due to deteriorating quality of education.

The lawmaker said that the committee set up by the Federal Government, which carried out National Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS), assessment of Nigerian public universities, identified numerous deficiencies in the university system.

He expressed concern that the `rot’ identified in the NEEDS report appeared to have belied the full accreditation status granted by the NUC to some programmes in the universities that were assessed.

Kabir added that the “situation’’ had cast doubt on the credibility of the accreditation procedure of the NUC.

He said that the process of accreditation “ought to provide a means of recognising some levels of performance, quality and integrity which would engender confidence from the public and the educational community’’.

Kabir expressed concern that if such acts of corruption were left unchecked, the imbalance in the regulation of universities would persist and might result in further decline in the quality of education.

He said that it was important that the committee on education looked into the activities of NUC with a view to assessing its level of performance. (NAN)