The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has charged vice-chancellors, rectors and other heads of tertiary institutions to strengthen accountability mechanisms and ensure the transparent management of interventions provided by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).
The ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, gave the charge on Monday in Abuja at the opening of the Organisational Integrity Management Capacity-Building Programme for officials of TETFund beneficiary institutions.
The programme was organised by the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), the training and research arm of the ICPC, with support from TETFund.
Aliyu urged vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts, bursars and directors of works to strengthen internal controls, address corruption risks and ensure that TETFund interventions delivered value for money.
He described tertiary education as fundamental to national development, noting that resources invested in universities, polytechnics and colleges of education represented investments in Nigeria’s future.
He said TETFund played a strategic role in supporting infrastructure development, research and staff training, but stressed that the success of its interventions depended not only on the availability of funds but also on the integrity and accountability of institutions entrusted with their management.
Aliyu identified weak procurement practices, inadequate project supervision, ineffective internal controls, conflicts of interest and financial mismanagement as major risks capable of undermining TETFund interventions.
He warned that such practices could result in wasted public resources, abandoned or delayed projects and declining public confidence in tertiary institutions.
The ICPC chairman emphasised that organisational integrity went beyond personal morality, requiring ethical leadership, effective institutional systems and a culture of accountability.
“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.
Aliyu explained that although investigation and prosecution remained important components of the commission’s mandate, the ICPC was increasingly prioritising preventive measures through system studies and reviews, corruption risk assessments and ethics compliance scorecards.
He identified five critical areas requiring urgent attention by institutional leaders: institutionalising corruption risk assessments, strengthening internal controls, promoting transparency in TETFund projects, improving reporting mechanisms and translating lessons from the training into practical institutional reforms.
He stressed that preventing corruption was a collective responsibility involving institutional leaders, administrators, procurement officers, auditors and other stakeholders, rather than the exclusive preserve of anti-corruption agencies.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Sonny Echono, urged officials of beneficiary institutions to ensure that every naira disbursed by the fund could be traced to tangible and high-quality outcomes.
Echono, who was represented by the Director of Human Resources and General Administration, Dr Kolpao Okunlola, described organisational integrity as central to national development, warning that public trust depended on responsible stewardship of resources.
He said funding alone could not guarantee meaningful results without accountable leadership, effective implementation and strict adherence to established standards.
The TETFund executive secretary urged institutional leaders to comply with procurement laws, financial regulations and the fund’s guidelines, take responsibility for project outcomes and protect individuals who report misconduct.
He also cautioned beneficiary institutions against political interference and personal interests in the selection of beneficiaries and execution of projects.
Echono reiterated his position that appointments influenced by considerations other than merit could undermine the effectiveness of entire institutions.
Similarly, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jos and Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Federal Universities, Prof. Tank Ishaya, urged beneficiary institutions to utilise their allocations judiciously.
He identified honesty, transparency, accountability, data integrity, respect and fairness as essential pillars of organisational integrity, stressing that integrity extended beyond the management of financial resources.
Earlier, the Provost of ACAN, Prof. Sheriff Ibrahim, said integrity in education involved adherence to ethical principles and standards by both educators and students.
He identified honesty, accountability and fairness as indispensable to building trust and sustaining ethical standards across educational institutions.
Ibrahim urged tertiary institutions to collaborate with the ICPC to strengthen integrity management and tackle administrative corruption, embezzlement, examination misconduct, the monetisation of marks, sexual harassment and the existence of ghost workers.
