THE Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission (ICPC) has declared its intention to beam a searchlight on the conduct of examinations in Nigeria particularly among the youths “in order to nip the evil of corruption in the bud.”

The anti-graft body made this known in Ondo town Friday at the commencement of a four-day “Technical Meeting on 2013/2014 Admissions into Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE), National Diploma (ND) and National Innovative Diploma (NID)-Awarding Institutions in Nigeria” which is holding at Adeyemi College of Education, (ACE).

The ICPC in a paper delivered by its Deputy Director in charge of Education Matters, Mohammed Baba on behalf of Professor Olu Aina, an executive member of the commission to the meeting organised by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), said examinations corruption is undermining the credibility of the certificates of Nigerian graduates.

He disclosed that the body had prepared a template for dealing with corruption at the level of examination administration through a study carried out using three Nigerian universities, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Ogun State-owned Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye and a private university in Lokoja, Kogi State to identify spots of corruption activities in university administration.

Provost of ACE, Professor Adeyemi Idowu, who in his keynote address lamented the incidents of examination malpractices among admission-seeking Nigerian youths, urged all stakeholders to find a way of tackling the menace in order to protect the integrity and credibility of Nigerian certificates.

Addressing a gathering of heads of institutions drawn from all over the country including the Registrar of JAMB, Prof. Dibu Ojerinde, the Provost said “there has been a steady increase in the number of admission seekers into our various tertiary institutions on yearly basis; a development, which ordinarily should gladden our hearts that the youths of this country are desirous of education.

“However, in reality, some (if not majority) of these prospective candidates would not be admitted mainly because of poor performance or as a result of examination malpractices. Over the years, this scenario has played itself out and the result had been more candidates seeking admission but without the necessary capacity to achieve it.”

Source Guardian Nigeria.