Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Ekpo Nta, has accused some Nigerian universities of admitting students into courses not meant for undergraduates in order to increase their internally generated revenue.
He said many candidates had been deceived into enrolling for courses not accredited by the National Universities Commission and therefore not eligible to participate in the National Youth Service Corps after graduation.
Nta spoke during the signing of Memorandum of Understanding on working collaboration between the ICPC and the National Orientation Agency in Abuja.
He said, “You are admitted to a programme without being told that for this particular programme you will not be eligible to serve under the NYSC because the programme is not accredited by the NUC.
“In order for these universities to have internally generated revenue, they admit the students in programmes meant for in-service or those who needed to acquire skills without using the skills to look for employment.
“On attaining those degrees and discovering that they could not go for NYSC, the students resort to self-help. In response, fake NYSC camp sprung up in Nasarawa,” he said.
Nta recalled that the commission had arrested no fewer than 42 participants at a fake NYSC camp.
The NOA Director- General, Mike Omeri, said the collaboration would help to address many ills in the society and enlighten the public on the punishment for corruption.
He said the message would be taken to move communities to woo more hands in the fight against corruption.
The seven-page MoU covers the preventive education and public enlightenment functions of the ICPC and how the two agencies could collaborate to achieve important aspects of their joint mandates.
The commission a few months ago arrested 17 fake corps members at the orientation camp at Kubwa, Abuja.
They were caught while taking pictures outside the camp during the passing-out ceremonies.
ICPC operatives stormed the camp based on intelligence reports and arrested the suspects made up of eight females and nine males.
Fifteen of the fake corps members claimed to have enrolled in degree courses run by Consultancy Services in University of Calabar (6); University of Jos (6); Ebonyi State University (1); Federal University of Technology, Owerri(1); and Crown Polytechnic Ado-Ekiti (1).
It would be recalled that Nta recently declared that the commission would beam its searchlight on education sector to tackle corruption.
