Advocacy Group Dismisses Bribery Allegations Against Lawmakers

The Save Humanity Advocacy Centre (SHAC) has urged vice chancellors (VCs) of Nigerian universities who failed to defend their 2025 budget estimates before the National Assembly to do so immediately and stop the bribery allegations.

The call follows allegations that lawmakers demanded N50 million from universities to approve their budget proposals.

The coordinator of SHAC, Mary Johnson, challenged the affected VCs to publicly name those responsible for the alleged extortion or remain silent.

“If these lawmakers truly demanded money, why haven’t the VCs exposed them?” she asked during a press briefing on Thursday.

Johnson noted that several revenue-generating agencies, such as the Nigerian Customs Service and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, had defended their budgets without incident.

“Why are university administrators the only ones making bribery claims? Do they have something to hide from Nigerians?” she queried.

She further alleged that some university officials fear budget scrutiny due to underlying issues within their institutions, including cases of sexual harassment.

Johnson stated, “Some lecturers, who are married to the daughters of VCs and registrars, have been accused of misconduct. Have these VCs taken action against them?”

Defending the National Assembly, Johnson called for public support, saying, “The parliament is a pillar of democracy, yet it constantly faces baseless accusations. While shady dealings occur in MDAs, lawmakers are always the target.”

It is worth noting that some university administrators had accused National Assembly members of demanding the sum of N5 million from each institution before the budget is passed.

The House of Representatives has since dismissed the bribery claims, insisting that budget defence sessions were conducted transparently.