The Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, Niger State, Professor Hassan Ibrahim, has accused members of the National Assembly of demanding bribes during their oversight visits to universities.
Ibrahim made the revelation during the third 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 stated that political interference in university management had severely undermined the education system.
“Some politicians are using the oversight functions for their selfish gains. Instead of doing the right thing, they ask for kickbacks, which is unethical,” Ibrahim remarked during his address.
He explained that universities like FUT Minna are forced to allocate large sums of money to satisfy the demands of lawmakers.
“What we see today is when members of the National Assembly want to visit a university like FUT Minna for oversight functions, the Bursary Department has to prepare at least the sum of N10 million for them from its limited resources.”
Ibrahim also revealed that lawmakers often demand that university officials meet them in Abuja, rather than conducting their oversight visits as scheduled.
“Sometimes, they don’t even show up but ask the university to come to Abuja with documents, corrupting and bastardising the system,” he added.
The professor went on to criticise university accountants for their complicity in these unethical practices. He pointed out that accountants’ failure to maintain transparency and adhere to professional standards had made them enablers of political corruption.
“If we [accountants] are doing the right thing at the right time, they [politicians] will never ask for anything,” Ibrahim said.
Ibrahim highlighted the importance of following the five fundamental ethics of the accounting profession, stating that a return to proper financial practices would prevent politicians from making unethical demands.
In addressing the financial challenges facing universities, he recommended that institutions adopt innovative strategies such as diversifying revenue streams, improving financial reporting, and enhancing internal auditing functions to strengthen their operations and reduce political interference.
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