By Waziri Isa Adam (Group Editor-in-chief)
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETfund) has blown the whistle on the shocking level of corruption and politicization involved in the selection of Vice-Chancellors in Nigerian universities. According to Sunday Echono, Executive Secretary of TETfund, the process has been hijacked by politicians and local leaders who sponsor their preferred candidates, often with lucrative rewards in return.
Echono’s bombshell was dropped during his Convocation lecture at the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) Imo State. He lamented that the selection process has become a high-stakes game, where Governing Council members prioritize personal interests over merit. This has led to the “increasingly localising” of university administration, where local politics and corruption hold sway.
The TETfund boss noted that many university staff members are sponsored by local politicians and community leaders, making the selection process overly competitive and lucrative for Governing Council members. This has created a culture of corruption, where contractors sponsor candidates for Vice-Chancellor in return for patronage.
To address this problem, Echono emphasized the need for transparency and accountability in the selection process. He also advocated for decentralizing TETfund activities to reduce the influence of politics and corruption. This move could help promote merit-based selections and reduce the impact of local politics on university administration.
The implications of Echono’s revelations are stark. If left unchecked, the corruption and politicization of the selection process could undermine the very foundations of Nigeria’s university system. It’s time for urgent action to restore transparency, accountability, and merit-based selection to the process.