NUC, VCs deny bribery allegation against Reps C’ttee

The National Universities Commission (NUC) and Committee of Vice Chancellors (VCs) have denied bribery and extortion allegations against the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee probing job racketeering and mismanagement of IPPIS in MDAs.

Prof. Chris Maiyaki, the acting Executive Secretary of NUC, and Prof. Isiah Tanko, the VC of the University of Jos, denied the allegation as reported by an online medium.

They denied the report attributed to them when they jointly appeared before the committee in Abuja on Friday.

Speaking on the issue as reported by the medium, which alleged that the committee collected money from NUC and VCs for a soft landing over the probe, the NUC official said the report was baseless.

According to him, the publication is regrettable; whatever the substance, we wish that this does not impugn the partnership we have with the lawmakers, which we should be promoting.

Maiyaki said the universities occupied a special place in the life of any nation, advising that the lawmakers and the universities should come together to create a game changer for the country.

On his part, Tanko, who represented Prof. Lilian Salami, the Chairman of the Committee of VCs, said they read the publication but added that the VCs were not part of the allegation.

“”We read the disturbing publication and I can say that the VCs were not part of that and we did not provide any bribe to anybody.

“”We all dispersed from the committee's investigative hearing as soon as we finished the last time we appeared before you,” said the representatives of the VCs.

Maiyaki stressed that “Soliciting money for bribes is out of the question and not true; the reporter did not find out the fact. We have hope and confidence in this ad hoc committee.”

He said more than five programmes at the University of Jos were in danger of being disaccredited because of a lack of manpower, adding “We were looking up to the committee to correct that”.

The Chairman of the Adhoc Committee, Rep. Yusuf Gagdi, however, noted that the publication was sponsored to divert the attention of the members from finding out the deep-rooted evil that existed in the public sector.

“”It is not even our mandate to investigate the publication by Premium Times, but to investigate alleged racketeering in MDAs.

“”The investigating authorities, like the ICPC and EFCC, have been given the mandate to investigate those allegations and the account number,” he said.