Once more, some lawmakers within the Nigerian Nationwide Meeting have arrange a bribery scheme focusing on federal universities and different tertiary establishments within the nation.
PREMIUM TIMES can report that lawmakers are utilizing intimidation and threats to power the heads of universities to pay N8 million every to approve their allocations within the 2025 budgets.
This newspaper’s investigation revealed that the extortion scheme includes senators and members of the Home of Representatives. The lawmakers, working by the Senate Committee on Tertiary Schooling and TETFund and the Home Committee on College Schooling, are demanding cash from universities to approve their budgets.
Utilizing an elaborate and sophisticated system created by the lawmakers, 60 federal college vice-chancellors are required to pay N8 million every (N4 million every to Senate and Home Committees).
The lawmakers predict N480 million from the extortion, and so they have assigned two vice-chancellors from the North-central and North-west geopolitical zones to coordinate the funds to keep away from detection.
In December 2024, President Bola Tinubu introduced the federal funds to a joint session of the Nationwide Meeting. Committees of the Nationwide Meeting are at present conducting funds defence periods, with varied ministries, departments, and companies showing earlier than the related committees to justify their proposals.
Over time, there have been constant allegations of bribery involving lawmakers and the insertion of initiatives into the funds.
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For a lot of college vice-chancellors who’ve appeared earlier than the 2 committees, the expertise has been the identical: lawmakers openly demand bribes in trade for funds approval. Vice-chancellors who refuse to conform are threatened with probes or the non-passage of their establishments’ budgets.
It was gathered that the Home Committee, chaired by Hassan Fulata (APC, Jigawa), set the extortion scheme in movement on 16 January throughout a gathering with some vice-chancellors. On the assembly, the VCs got clear and agency directions about what was anticipated of them.
Initially scheduled for 10 a.m. that day, the assembly was delayed till 3 p.m. attributable to behind-the-scenes discussions between lawmakers and a few vice-chancellors.
Talking anonymously for concern of being victimised, one of many vice-chancellors stated the lawmakers have been express of their calls for.
The supply revealed that the lawmakers criticised the vice-chancellors for not cooperating, not like different establishments that comply with out resistance. At one level, the tone of the assembly grew to become extra threatening. Sources on the assembly stated the committee members “cajoled, threatened, and even humiliated” some vice-chancellors.
“They threatened us with probes if we didn’t play ball with them,” one attendee informed PREMIUM TIMES. He added, “Most different companies usually are not grumbling just like the VCs”.
The vast majority of the vice-chancellors reportedly grumbled and complained concerning the lawmakers’ calls for, expressing frustration over the repeated extortion. Nevertheless, the extra they complained, the extra aggressive the lawmakers grew to become, escalating their threats of probes.
One vice-chancellor raised considerations about the potential for dealing with additional investigations by the Unbiased Corrupt Practices and Different Associated Offences Fee (ICPC), citing the same expertise that they had with one other Home committee uncovered by a PREMIUM TIMES investigation.
In 2023, PREMIUM TIMES uncovered how a committee of the Home established an extortion scheme focusing on universities, faculties of schooling, and polytechnics.
In that report, this paper uncovered how the lawmakers used a Bureau De Change operator to gather their illicit funds. The investigation ultimately led to an ICPC probe, however not a lot has been heard concerning the train.
Responding to the considerations raised concerning the ICPC, one of many lawmakers reportedly remarked, “Even the ICPC seems earlier than us to defend its funds. The identical goes for the Inspector Normal of Police (IGP).”
PREMIUM TIMES contacted the ICPC spokesperson, Demola Bakare, by cellphone to react to the insinuation of compromise towards the anti-graft company. He laughed off the declare that the ICPC had paid cash to any committee.
“You’ll be able to see that I’m laughing. I’m listening to this for the primary time. I might want to examine if we’re conscious of something like that,” Mr Bakare stated. He promised to return to this reporter with the ICPC’s official place. Nevertheless, he didn’t revert as promised.
To keep away from tracing the transactions to the lawmakers, the committee one in all its officers to coordinate the move of cash by quite a few accounts, making monitoring virtually unattainable. This has difficult PREMIUM TIMES’ efforts to verify compliance with the directive or the quantities paid into the accounts.
The investigation revealed that utilizing a number of financial institution accounts collected by proxies reduces the possibilities of transferring the cash to any particular account.
Many vice-chancellors seem extra reluctant this time, with a number of sources expressing considerations concerning the lawmakers’ never-ending calls for for cash. In some situations, the vice-chancellors have needed to cope with a number of standing committees of the Senate and the Home and a number of other advert hoc committees.
Earlier on Wednesday, the vice-chancellors met with the Senate Committee on Tertiary Establishments and TETFund. Nevertheless, the assembly was reportedly much less confrontational than within the Home.
Final 12 months, this paper reported that lawmakers demanded N5 million from universities to move the 2024 funds. Nevertheless, the present demand of N8 million seems to have additional strained the vice-chancellors.
Concentrating on a cussed VC
The Vice-Chancellor of the Federal College of Gusau, Muazu Gusau, seems to have change into a specific goal for lawmakers. Throughout the 16 January assembly, the lawmakers threatened to “take care of” Mr Gusau for being “cussed.”
Sources stated the lawmakers criticised Mr Gusau for defying their calls for and accused him of not cooperating like different vice-chancellors.
“It’s unclear what Mr Gusau has carried out to incur the lawmakers’ wrath, nevertheless it appears he has refused to adjust to their calls for. Maybe he has rejected earlier requests from the lawmakers, as they’re at all times demanding cash,” a supply, who requested anonymity, stated.
The lawmakers reportedly didn’t specify how they deliberate to “take care of” Mr Gusau. Nevertheless, they’ve a historical past of utilizing the specter of probes to make sure compliance.
In earlier circumstances, committees have initiated investigations solely to intimidate or humiliate people. PREMIUM TIMES has reported extensively on lawmakers’ use of such techniques to strain companies into submission.
Closed-door periods have change into an efficient software for lawmakers to barter bribes and coerce ministries, departments, and companies (MDAs). Moreover, the Home Committee on College Schooling has a popularity for excluding the Home Press Corps from its proceedings, limiting transparency.
When PREMIUM TIMES contacted Mr Fulata, the chairman of the Home Committee on College Schooling, he didn’t return calls or messages in search of his feedback on the allegations.
The underfunding of universities
Amidst the continuing calls for for bribes, Nigerian universities are fighting persistent underfunding by the federal government.
Over time, the Tutorial Workers Union of Universities (ASUU) has sought to compel the federal government by strikes to fund universities correctly, however the points stay unresolved.
In 2009, the federal authorities agreed to speculate N1.5 trillion in college funding following negotiations with ASUU. Nevertheless, regardless of a number of rounds of renegotiation, the federal government has persistently reneged on this settlement.
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Since then, the variety of federally-owned universities has elevated considerably, however the budgetary allocation for schooling has remained meagre, usually protecting solely personnel prices. Infrastructure improvement largely depends on the Tertiary Schooling Belief Fund (TETFUND), which is now below rising strain from lawmakers.
Final 12 months, the 2 TETFUND committees within the Home and Senate launched a probe, requiring all heads of tertiary establishments to hunt approval earlier than enterprise initiatives. The committees ultimately backed down following pushback from the vice-chancellors and a PREMIUM TIMES report exposing the scheme.
Regardless of these challenges, vice-chancellors endure persistent harassment and extortion from lawmakers whereas struggling to satisfy their establishments’ funding wants.
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