Antigraft group urges VCs to expose corrupt NASS members in 2025 budget

An anti-graft group, the Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC), has challenged Vice Chancellors (VCs) of Nigerian universities to expose National Assembly members who demanded bribes from them before passing their 2025 budgetary proposals.

The call from SHAC followed allegations that the lawmakers demanded N50 million from universities to approve their budget proposals.

SHAC’s coordinator, Mary Johnson, challenged the affected VCs to publicly name those responsible for the alleged extortion or remain silent.

“If these lawmakers truly demanded money, why haven’t the VCs exposed them?” she asked during a press briefing on Thursday.

Johnson noted that several revenue-generating agencies, such as the Nigerian Customs Service and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, had defended their budgets without incident.

“Why are university administrators the only ones making bribery claims? Do they have something to hide from Nigerians?” she queried.

She further alleged that some university officials fear budget scrutiny due to underlying issues within their institutions, including cases of sexual harassment.

Johnson said, “Some lecturers, who are married to the daughters of VCs and registrars, have been accused of misconduct. Have these VCs taken action against them?”

Defending the National Assembly, Johnson called for public support, saying, “The parliament is a pillar of democracy, yet it constantly faces baseless accusations. While shady dealings occur in MDAs, lawmakers are always the target.”

Recall that some university administrators had accused National Assembly members of demanding the sum of N5 million from each of the institutions before the budget is passed.

The House of Representatives had since dismissed the bribery claims, insisting that budget defense sessions were transparent.