Again, some lawmakers in the Nigerian National Assembly have set up a bribery scheme targeting federal universities and other tertiary institutions in the country.

This is according to a PREMIUM TIMES report over the weekend, which revealed that lawmakers are using intimidation and threats to force the heads of universities to pay N8 million each to approve their allocations in the 2025 budgets.

This newspaper’s investigation revealed that the extortion scheme involves senators and members of the House of Representatives. The lawmakers, operating through the Senate Committee on Tertiary Education and TETFund and the House Committee on University Education, are demanding money from universities to approve their budgets.

According to the report, “Using an elaborate and complex system created by the lawmakers, 60 federal university vice-chancellors are required to pay N8 million each (N4 million each to Senate and House Committees).

“The lawmakers are expecting N480 million from the extortion, and they have assigned two vice-chancellors from the North-central and North-west geopolitical zones to coordinate the payments to avoid detection.”

The portal recalled that in December 2024, President Bola Tinubu presented the federal budget to a joint session of the National Assembly. Committees of the National Assembly are currently conducting budget defence sessions, with various ministries, departments, and agencies appearing before the relevant committees to justify their proposals, the paper further recalled.

As per PREMIUM TIMES, “Over the years, there have been consistent allegations of bribery involving lawmakers and the insertion of projects into the budget.

“For many university vice-chancellors who have appeared before the two committees, the experience has been the same: lawmakers brazenly demand bribes in exchange for budget approval. Vice-chancellors who refuse to comply are threatened with probes or the non-passage of their institutions’ budgets.

“It was gathered that the House Committee, chaired by Hassan Fulata (APC, Jigawa), set the extortion scheme in motion on 16 January during a meeting with some vice-chancellors. At the meeting, the VCs were given clear and firm instructions about what was expected of them.

“Initially scheduled for 10 a.m. that day, the meeting was delayed until 3 p.m. due to behind-the-scenes discussions between lawmakers and some vice-chancellors.

“Speaking anonymously for fear of being victimised, one of the vice-chancellors said the lawmakers were explicit in their demands.

“The source revealed that the lawmakers criticised the vice-chancellors for not cooperating, unlike other institutions that comply without resistance. At one point, the tone of the meeting became more threatening. Sources at the meeting said the committee members “cajoled, threatened, and even humiliated” some vice-chancellors.”

“They threatened us with probes if we failed to play ball with them,” one attendee reportedly told PREMIUM TIMES, adding: “Most other agencies are not grumbling like the VCs”.

“The majority of the vice-chancellors reportedly grumbled and complained about the lawmakers’ demands, expressing frustration over the repeated extortion. However, the more they complained, the more aggressive the lawmakers became, escalating their threats of probes,” the portal reported.

It said that when contacted, the chairman of the House Committee on University Education, Hon. Abubakar Fulata, did not return calls or messages seeking his comments on the allegations.