National Assembly Lawmakers Demands N10m Bribe; Vice-Chancellor Exposes
The Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU) Lapai, Niger State, Prof Hassan Ibrahim, has accused members of the National Assembly of demanding bribes during oversight visits to universities.
Ibrahim made the accusation during the 3rd Annual Lecture of the Bursary Department at the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, themed “The Role of Accountants in Enhancing Ethical Financial Practices in the University System.”
He explained that political interference in university management had worsened the system.
“Some politicians are using the oversight functions for their selfish gains instead of them doing the right thing, they will be asking for kickback which is unethical. We are talking about ethics but with the politicians it’s not like that,” he said.
Ibrahim revealed that during such visits, institutions like FUT Minna had to prepare large sums of money for the politicians.
“What we see today is, when members of the National Assembly want to visit like FUT Minna for oversight functions, the Bursary Department has to prepare at least the sum of N10 million for them within its limited resources,” he added.
He also noted that at times, the politicians do not even show up but demand the universities meet them in Abuja.
“Sometimes they will not even come but will ask the university to come and meet them in Abuja with documents, thereby corrupting and bastardising the system,” Ibrahim stated.
The professor further criticised university accountants for their role in these unethical practices, accusing them of a lack of transparency.
“If we (accountants) are doing the right thing at the right time, they (politicians) will never ask for anything,” he noted.
According to Ibrahim, a failure to follow the five fundamental ethics of the accounting profession has allowed politicians to make unethical demands. He called for a return to proper financial practices to prevent such corruption.
In addressing financial challenges in universities, Ibrahim recommended adopting innovative strategies like diversifying revenue streams, improving financial reporting, and enhancing internal audit functions.
