Would you believe that some university lecturers are now in the payroll of the students that they are supposed to be teaching and nurturing.
Well, that is how much morally bankrupt the education system at that tier had become, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had indicated.
Executive Chairman of the commission, Olanipekun Olukoyede made the startling assertion while addressing the 8th Biennial Conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria held in Kano.
He said the moral base of the system had become so rotten that six out of every 10 students in Nigerian universities are involved in cybercrime.
Referencing recent arrests of the commission for the statistic, he said that was how they were able to place university lecturers on their payroll.
He cited a major operation in Lagos where 792 suspects linked to a transnational cybercrime syndicate were arrested, noting that a significant number of them were students.
The agency was able to expose the sophistication of cybercrime networks operating within and beyond Nigeria, through its deployment of artificial intelligence tools.
He also spoke about the “Yahoo Plus” trend of crime, saying the fraudsters deploy a combination of internet fraud with fetish practices.
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Describing the situation as a sad development, He said this at the 8th Biennial Conference of the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities in Nigeria held in Kano, themed “Unlocking the Potentials of Artificial Intelligence: University Governance, Internationalization and Rankings”.
These he said implied increased oversight on the part of the regulatory agencies and university administrations, as it reflected deeper vulnerabilities in university administration including systemic challenges and weak oversight
University education in the country, Olukorode stated, needed urgent strengthening and collaborating with law enforcement agencies.
Underscoring the need to mount AI-driven governance systems to enhance transparency, detect fraud and improve financial accountability in universities, the EFCC chairman stated:
“A university that lacks financial accountability cannot credibly train future professionals. The integrity of our universities is a matter of national security”.
Cami Ezenwa is a Writer, Editor, Publicist, Biographer and Journalism Trainer
He has worked with the Daily Times, Daily Independent, Financial Standard and Business Television to mention some.
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