TheCable

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has closed the operation of 62 illegal degree awarding institutions.

Bolaji Owasanoye, chairman of the ICPC, said the commission also closed down a fake National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp as part of its efforts to tackle corruption in the education sector.

According to NAN, Owasanoye said this on Tuesday while speaking at a youth dialogue on corruption in tertiary institutions.

The dialogue, held in Abuja, was organised by ICPC for members of anti-corruption vanguards from five tertiary institutions in the federal capital territory (FCT).

Represented by Hannatu Mohammed, ICPC board member in charge of youths, Owasanoye said the commission has since prosecuted the offenders.

The ICPC chairman said corruption has a crippling impact on educational standards since no country can advance beyond the calibre and level of its educational system.

He said the ICPC established anti-corruption vanguards in schools in order to advance the fight against corruption in the education sector, particularly in higher institutions

“The vanguards equip the student members with the capacity to develop zero tolerance for corruption and to inculcate attitudinal change among their fellow students,” he said.

“The vanguards also enable the students to assist the management of their various institutions to effectively reduce corruption in the education system.”

He added that apart from the setting up the anti-corruption vanguards, ICPC has conducted a system study and review in the university system to identify practices that allowed corruption to flourish.

According to him, the study uncovered a number of violations within the university system, including bribery, gratification, sexual harassment and sexual inducement, examination malpractices, over-invoicing and over-inflation of contract values.

Others according to him, include the award of contracts to selves and cronies, sale of substandard handouts to students, absenteeism, admission racketeering and certificate forgery.

Owasanoye, however, said the commission had since articulated its findings and recommended effective and workable solutions and forwarded them to the minister of education for implementation.