Former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, has praised Nigerian professors for refusing bribes during elections. He said they have helped protect the honesty of the voting process.

Speaking during The Platform, a Democracy Day event held on June 12 and hosted by Covenant Nation in Lagos, Jega explained why he believes academics are important to Nigeria’s elections. He said their involvement has brought more fairness and trust into the system.

Jega, who was a former vice-chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, started using university professors and vice-chancellors as returning officers and temporary staff when he led INEC from 2010 to 2015.

Although a few professors have been caught for wrongdoing during elections, Jega said this shouldn’t make people ignore the good work most professors have done. He believes the majority have shown strong moral values and helped improve elections.

He shared that when he took charge of INEC, the election process was in bad shape. But because of his experience in the university system, he worked with vice-chancellors to find reliable academic staff using fair methods.

After the 2011 elections, even professional groups like the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) asked to help out. But Jega said he decided to keep working with professors since their work was already effective.

He explained that many professors, especially those who had worked in the university for over 30 years, were not likely to ruin their hard-earned reputations for election bribes. According to him, their long careers and commitment to integrity made them trustworthy choices.