The Chairman of Independent
Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offence (ICPC), Professor Bolaji
Olufunmileyi Owasanoye, has said that corruption is everywhere including
tertiary institutions in the country.
Prof. Owasanoye disclosed this
while inaugurating the student’s wing of ICPC University of Calabar Chapter,
tagged ‘Students’ Anticorruption Vanguard’, (SAV) in Calabar, Cross River
State.
Owasanoye, who was represented by
the board’s commissioner in charge of Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Sola Shodipo, said
that corruption was everywhere including tertiary institutions, hence, the need
to involve stakeholders in the education sector to combat the menace.
“The Independent Corrupt Practice
and Other Related Offence (ICPC) has taken its war against corruption to
tertiary institutions as the board’s students’ wing berths in the University of
Calabar (Unical).
He added, “SAV was one of the
initiatives of the anti-corruption agency intended to directly involve students
of tertiary institutions in the fight against corruption in the country.”
The ICPC boss commended the VC
and his management team for the collaboration and the strides recorded in
ensuring that corruption is defeated in the University.
On his part, Prof. Akpagu said
that his administration is committed to the anti-corruption war of President
Muhammadu Buhari’s adding that the University remains the first in the country
to introduce anti-corruption as a course of study.
Akpagu maintained that the desire
of some Nigerians to do things the wrong away as well embezzlement of public
funds is the key problems militating against the development of the country.
He charged the new SAV executives
to do their best to justify the confidence reposed on them noting that they
were carefully selected from among over 40,000 students in the University to
work as an eye of the anti-corruption agency.
While disclosing that some of the
university staff was under investigation for different cases of corruption
including certificate, admission and employment racketeering, he lamented that
some people are forging his signature to give employment.
“We are here today as partners
and not enemies of the ICPC. Our commitment to the anti-corruption war of the
present administration is total and we have demonstrated this by becoming the
first University in Nigeria to establish Anti-corruption Study as a course.
“We may not have achieved our set
goals yet but it’s a right step at the right direction. In Nigeria, it may be
new but we want to catch them young by teaching the younger generation the
danger of corruption.
“The problem of this country is
doing things the wrong way and embezzlement of public funds by some privileged
individuals. In Nigeria, money meant for the development of the country ends up
in people’s pockets. Some individuals in this country are richer than state.
So, for us, the creation of this students wing of the ICPC was a well-thought
initiative”, he said.
He explained further that “The
month I became VC was when TSA started with many other measures to ensure
prudence usage of public funds. We are not trying to claim that we are saints
or singing our praises but what we have achieved that people are talking about
today were achieved with the same funds or even less than what was available to
other administrations.
“Corruption is bad so we’ll
continue to support government for it to be completely eliminated because
that’s the only way that this country can grow”. Earlier, the Coordinator of
the SAV, Prof. Lulu Uwatt in her opening remarks lamented that corruption in
Nigeria has “assumed status of being ageless because of the great support given
by human insincerity and the unprecedentedness to give corruption a real
fight”.
She charged the “ICPC, school
management and volunteers to watch each other’s back, have sincerity and unity
of purpose and work relentlessly towards sanitizing the University community”.
Elebor Prince Edede, the
President of SAV said that “the efforts of the Prof. Zaa Akpagu Led management
and ICPC to curb corruption in this institution cannot be overemphasized.
During our training, we were told of the VC’s effort to combat corruption in
the University and we thank him for that. For the task at hand, we pledge to do
our best to ensure corruption is eliminated on campus.”
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