Get Guardian on GoogleThe Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has warned tertiary institutions against procurement irregularities, poor project supervision, and financial mismanagement that could undermine investments by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, gave the warning on Monday while opening a two-day Organisational Integrity Management Capacity-Building Programme for officials of TETFund beneficiary institutions in Abuja.
Aliyu urged heads of institutions to strengthen internal controls, identify corruption risks and ensure transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.
He identified weak procurement practices, conflicts of interest, ineffective internal controls and inadequate project supervision as major risks that could prevent TETFund interventions from delivering value for money.
“Integrity must not exist merely in policy documents or institutional mission statements. It must be reflected in everyday decisions, administrative processes, and the management of public resources,” he said.
The ICPC chairman called on participating institutions to conduct regular corruption risk assessments, improve financial documentation, separate official duties to prevent abuse, independently verify projects and establish effective channels for reporting misconduct.
He said the success of the programme would depend on concrete improvements introduced by beneficiary institutions rather than attendance alone.
Aliyu reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to preventing corruption through system studies and reviews, corruption risk assessments, the Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard and training programmes organised by the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria.
The Provost of the academy, Prof. Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, said integrity management in tertiary institutions should involve management, academic and non-academic staff, as well as students.
He identified administrative corruption, embezzlement, examination malpractice, the monetisation of marks, sexual harassment and the presence of ghost workers as misconducts institutions must tackle in collaboration with the ICPC.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, represented by the Director of Human Resources and General Administration, Dr Kolapo Okunlola, said funding alone could not guarantee improved educational outcomes without accountable leadership and effective implementation.
Echono urged institutional heads to comply with procurement laws, financial regulations and TETFund guidelines, while taking responsibility for project delivery and protecting individuals who report wrongdoing.
He said the impact of TETFund interventions should be measured by how effectively the funds were managed and the improvements they delivered in educational infrastructure, research and learning.
