Buhari’s ministerial nominee admits corruption still ongoing

President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nominee, Adamu Adamu, says there’s systemic corruption in the administration despite spirited efforts to stop it.

Reacting to questions when he was being screened among the first batch of the nominees on Wednesday, the former minister of Education explained that corruption was still a menace

“Corruption in Nigeria is systemic. People have been prosecuted and assets seized, but corruption is still ongoing”, the former Minister of Education said.

Speaking on appointment of Vice Chancellors in Nigerian Universities, he disclosed that appointment of VCs had taken an ethnic dimension in Nigeria.

“Considering the appointment of Vice Chancellor, I know what it means because I have always been under pressure from the people of the affected States who says appointment of Vice Chancellor must be somebody from their area.

“Unfortunately, appointment of Vice Chancellors no longer lies with the University or in the hands of the Ministry.

“Before, the University use to select, bring it to the Minister and the Minister takes it to the President, but now, it’s for the Minister’s information.

“On the issue of Open University, it is not a question of the trending issue, but what the Ministry is going to do in order to expand educational opportunities for the people; most countries are introducing private Universities and open distance learning because of the population.

“Therefore, our own should be how to expand our learning system.

“On the primary education, I think it is not a good story in Nigeria and I tried as a Minister to do something because it is the lynch pin of Education. I tried to bring the state and the National Council of Education on board. Before I handed over, there was a survey that discovered about four million, seven hundred and thirty thousand out of school children.

“The Federal government is not in a position to force the children back to school, so I think the National Assembly should take the matter to the National Council of States.

“Whatever the National Council of States does would come to nothing without a Primary School foundation,” he said.

The former Minister of Education was the ninth to be screened on Wednesday by Senators.