SURVEY REVEALS NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES AS BREEDING GROUNDS FOR SECRECY, IMPUNITY
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A major transparency survey has revealed that Nigerian universities are plagued by financial secrecy and impunity.
The findings, published in the Athena Centre for Policy and Leadership Transparency Survey Report on Nigerian Universities, were released on Wednesday.
The report highlights alarming levels of financial opacity within Nigerian universities, describing it as a national disgrace that hampers funding, jeopardizes research excellence, and damages institutional credibility.
The Athena Centre’s survey encompassed 64 Nigerian universities, including 30 federal, 18 state, and 16 private institutions.
The report noted that none of the universities surveyed published their budgets, audited financial statements, or visitation panel reports on their websites.
Additionally, none of the universities disclosed a breakdown of their internally generated revenue (IGR) or how these funds were spent.
Even more concerning, the survey revealed that repeated requests for financial information under the Freedom of Information Act were either ignored or outrightly denied by university authorities.
This starkly contrasts with the practices of nine other African universities.
In line with global best practices, institutions such as the University of Cape Town (South Africa), the University of Nairobi (Kenya), the University of Ghana, and the University of Cambridge make their financial reports publicly accessible online, building trust and attracting significant external funding.
Reacting, former Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development of Nigeria, who doubled as the Vice Chancellor of the Centre, Osita Chidoka, said, “This culture of secrecy is driving away donors, blocking global partnerships, and starving our universities of much-needed funding.
“Universities should be role models of openness, accountability, and innovation, not fortresses of secrecy.”
The Center suggested that all Nigerian colleges implement financial transparency, governance reforms, and performance accountability by creating a thorough institutional and legal framework.
According to the Center, among other things, Nigerian institutions must disclose all of their expenses and internally generated revenue (IGR) in full each year.
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