Fear As EFFC Set To Beam Searchlight On Private Varsities

There appear to be palpable fear among some private University proprietors as the antigraft commission, Economic Financial Crime commission (EFCC) has indicated intention to liaise with National Universities Commission (NUC) to crackdown on unauthorised institutions operating without the federal government license.

Acting chairman of the anti-graft agency, Ibrahim Magu, who disclosed this during a courtesy visit to the corporate headquarters of the LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group in Abuja last Tuesday said such crackdown will bring sanity in the university system which according to him has become a means of some corrupt officials enriching themselves.

The anti-corruption czar whose confirmation by the Senate had been a source of controversy said that the commission is worried over the high number of fake institutions operating in the country, extorting money from parents.

Magu who expressed regret over the activities of such illegal campuses further stated that his agency will partner the NUC in cleaning the university system by taking the federal government anti-corruption fight to the universities.

The EFCC chairman disclosed that the commission has targeted the students in these universities for sensitisation against corruption, noting that the youths who are the future leaders of the country need to be sensitised against corruption.

He said, “This morning I was with the NUC Executive Secretary to partner with them in sensitising students against corruption. We have agreed to set up a task force to crackdown on mushroom universities collecting money from parents. The number of universities has gone up; we will close them down. I have also appealed to NUC to sensitise the youths against corruption. We are targeting the youths.”

Magu who said he is committed in ridding the country off corruption regretted that the high level of corruption going on in higher institutions has not been properly checked

Speaking further, the EFCC boss said the fight against corruption in the country is not a task to be left for the anti-graft agency alone to shoulder, adding that it requires the contribution and sacrifice of every Nigerian.

He noted that the fight against corruption was doable irrespective of the challenges confronting the commission, just as that there was no better time to confront the monster than now. Magu quipped: “No amount of criticism will deter us from succeeding.”

Magu, who said there was no one strategy in fighting corruption, tasked the media to be in the vanguard of fighting corruption, urging the public to take advantage of the whistleblowing policy.

Similarly, the EFCC chairman explained that his commission will sensitise the Nigerian Police on the fight against corruption, noting that men of the Police Force are always used in operation by high placed individuals.

“I want to synergise with everybody; I want to sensitise the Police not to be used. You know that people carry them and other law enforcement agencies for some operations. We will sensitise them so that they cannot be used again. They should stand for the truth,” he said.