LAGOS, Nigeria, March 23 (UPI) -- The education minister of Nigeria was dismissed Wednesday by President Olusegun Obasanjo on corruption charges.
Fabian Osuji was accused of giving up to $400,000 in bribes to senior parliament members to ensure passage of his education budget, the BBC reported.
In announcing his decision, Obasanjo said Nigeria must not "wallow in corruption" if it wants debt relief. The oil producing African nation currently has a foreign debt of about $35 billion.
Osuji is the second minister to be dismissed for corruption since Obasanjo took power in 1999 pledging to clean up Nigeria's political class, the report said.
Obasanjo said Osuji would be prosecuted by an independent commission on the charges. He also said the National Assembly would deal with parliament members accused of taking bribes.
Nigeria is seen as one of the world's most corrupt countries, according to watchdog group Transparency International.
