NBTE seeks support for Buhari in anti graft war

The National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) yesterday urged institutions in the country to support the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in the fight against corruption.

Speaking at a workshop organized by the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), the training arm of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) with the theme ‘Academic Integrity in Nigerian Polytechnics and Monotechnics,’ in Abuja, yesterday, Executive Secretary NBTE; Dr. Mas’udu Kazaure said NBTE has been partnering with both the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in the areas of fighting financial and non-financial corruption within the polytechnic system and inculcating change in our value systems.

Kazaure said, “To this end, interactive for a were held with EFCC for Rectors of Polytechnics and Provost of Specialised Institutions as well as senior members of staff of NBTE.

Also the board in collaboration with the EFCC and ICPC has commenced monitoring of activities of Anti Corruption and Transparency Monitoring Units (ACTU) in federal polytechnics to ensure that they comply with the standing order for the operation of ACTU’s enacted by the ICPC.”

Provost of the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), Professor Sola Akinrinade in his welcome address said corruption in any form is unacceptable, but corruption in our tertiary institutions strikes at the very heart of the future of this country, stressing that the report of the University System Study and Review conducted in three institutions through a collaborative initiative by the ICPC and the National Universities Commission (NUC) in 2012 by the Supervising Board Member of the academy, Professor Olu Aina, OFR, revealed that corruption has manifested itself in the operation of our universities.

His words: “More troubling however, is that the identified major areas of infraction are not limited to the universities but they manifest across all segments of our tertiary education system.”