The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, has called on heads of tertiary institutions to strengthen internal controls, address corruption risks and ensure that interventions funded by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) deliver value for money.
Aliyu made the call while declaring open a two-day Organisational Integrity Management Capacity-Building Programme for officials of TETFund beneficiary institutions in Abuja, organised by the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), the training and research arm of the ICPC, with support from TETFund.
He warned that weak procurement practices, inadequate project supervision, ineffective internal controls, conflicts of interest and financial mismanagement could undermine investments in the tertiary education sector.
According to him, TETFund resources can only achieve their intended objectives when beneficiary institutions demonstrate transparency and accountability in managing public funds.
Aliyu urged institutional leaders to embed integrity in their daily operations, enforce established procedures and create safe channels for reporting misconduct.
He also called on institutions to conduct corruption risk assessments, strengthen documentation and segregation of duties, ensure independent verification of projects and improve reporting mechanisms.
He said participating institutions should identify specific integrity measures, assign responsible officers, set implementation timelines and establish indicators for tracking progress.
The ICPC chairman said the success of the initiative should be measured by tangible improvements introduced in participating institutions rather than attendance at the programme.
He reaffirmed the commission’s commitment to preventing corruption through initiatives such as System Study and Review, Corruption Risk Assessment, the Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard and capacity-building programmes delivered through ACAN.
Speaking at the event, ACAN Provost, Professor Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, said integrity in tertiary institutions must involve not only management but also academic staff, non-academic personnel and students.
He identified honesty, accountability and fairness as critical values for building trust and maintaining ethical standards in educational institutions.
Ibrahim urged tertiary institutions to collaborate with the ICPC in addressing administrative corruption, embezzlement, examination malpractice, monetisation of marks, sexual harassment and the incidence of ghost workers.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of TETFund, Arc. Sonny Echono, represented by the Director of Human Resources and General Administration, Dr Kolapo Okunlola, said funding alone could not guarantee results without accountable leadership, effective implementation and strict adherence to standards.
He urged institutional leaders to comply with procurement laws, financial regulations and TETFund guidelines, take responsibility for project outcomes and protect whistleblowers.
Echono reaffirmed TETFund’s commitment to transparency and accountability and called on participants to identify institutional vulnerabilities and apply lessons from the programme to improve governance.
He added that the impact of TETFund interventions should be measured by the integrity of their management and the improvements they bring to educational infrastructure, research and learning.
