By Aisha Victoria Hasheem

The former Executive Secretary of National Universities Commission (NUC), Professor Peter Okebukola addressed the epidemic of corruption in the Nigerian education system at a workshop organised by the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN) in the country’s capital on the 6th of July 2015. 

Unfortunately, events such as this one is the new normal as Nigeria has come to be known for its high level of corruption in almost every sector, spanning from education to road works. In the education sector, corruption manifests itself in diversion of funds, mismanagement, inflated building contracts, and subjectivity in the appointment, promotion and development of teaching staff. With a ranking of 39thmost corrupt nation in the world, education has been blighted by the scourge of corruption to the extent that only one Nigerian University is ranked 1401th in the world (Covenant University Ota). This is a sorry story, which suggests that Nigeria is not coming through where it counts. 

In his presentation, Professor Okebukola stated that the pervasiveness of corruption in the university system is mirrored by the larger society and he explained:

‘’ The corruption level which directly and indirectly impact on academic integrity is high in Nigeria more so in the last 8 years

      We cannot have a saintly university system in an ocean of corrupt larger community reeking with persons with dishonest attribute, where parents are key agent in ‘sorting’ by inducing lecturers for marks for their children and wards and bribing admission officers to secure admission’’

Against this background, it is not surprising that the majority of graduates from Nigerian universities do not measure up to the standards of both internal and external evaluators as they are lacking in analytical skills and are not up-to-date with the current state of the literature. The domain of international education has become a thriving sector as nations such as Nigeria fail their youth. To fill the gap of poor quality tertiary education in Nigeria countries such as the United Kingdom, Egypt and Malaysia are export education as a form of revenue generation. In concluding this presentation, Professor Okebukola pointed out that Nigeria’s Universities would continue to be ranked low on the global index if the issue of Academic Integrity is not addressed. He stated:

“We must all come to the realization that whether we like it or not, ranking is here to stay’’

What will this future look like? If unaddressed the future of tertiary education in Nigeria can worsen as the problems of under performing teachers in an already under-resourced education system fails to produce graduates fit for employment. In exploring linkages between the education system and the wider society, Professor Okebukola pointed a finger at parents who are guilty of bribing school staff as part of the problem. 

To confront the problem, Professor Okebukola suggests an all-encompassing approach that include setting up a unit on academic integrity, rewarding exemplary staff and students, widely using plagiarism software and inclusion of concepts of academic integrity in study programs. He noted, “All assignments, undergraduate project reports, higher degree dissertations and theses should be routinely checked for plagiarism. To achieve this, the university should purchase robust plagiarism software that is frequently updated and its license renewed”.

These are well-framed recommendations at a conjuncture in Nigeria’s history when we are all ready for change. Hopefully Nigerian education decision makers will heed the Professors’ words.