A cross section of Nigerians on Tuesday in Abuja, challenged the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to begin the practice of naming and shaming indicted corrupt government officials.
Speaking at a roundtable meeting to review the implementation of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy (NEIP) and the Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS), the stakeholders, including religious leaders, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), lawyers and representatives of the international community, stressed that until officials found guilty of corruption are brought before the public for name shaming, the ICPC and other anti-corruption agencies in the country will only achieve very little in the war against corruption.
In a goodwill, the Director of Al-Habiyyah Islamic Society, Imam Fuad Adeyemi, called on the Commission to publish state by state, ministry by ministry, agency by agency names of corrupt institutions, adding that ICPC should deploy the social media in ensuring that such names go viral.
He disclosed that Moslem clerics are being trained to shun corruption and engage in productive ventures so as to shun grafts from corrupt congregants.
Similarly, the General Secretary of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Apostle Samson Fatokun, who represented CAN President, Most Reverend, Daniel Okoh, lamented the high level of moral decadence in the country.
While stating that the step taking by the ICPC is in order and would facilitate ethical recovery in the country, he however, argued that such move must start from the top instead of the grassroots.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has applauded the central role ethics and integrity play in the effective delivery of the institution’s mandate.
According to the chairperson of the Anti-corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU), of the NIS, DCI, Florence Laira, the service recognizes that the fight against corruption is not the task of one agency but a collective responsibility.
“It is through forums like this that we can engage in meaningful dialogue, share best practices, and work together to ensure that ethics and integrity are deeply ingrained in the culture of every public office.
“As we engage in today’s discussions, I encourage all participants to take full advantage of this opportunity to contribute ideas, offer solutions, and share perspectives that will guide the review and implementation of these important policies.
“Together, we can build a nation where the values of integrity and accountability thrive, and where public trust in our institutions remains strong”, she said.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the ICPC, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, has challenged religious bodies, civil groups and Nigerians in general to come up with fresh ideas as well as approaches that would enhance the county’s war against corruption.
Aliyu recalled that the NEIP and EICS was established in 2020 and 2015 respectively to help create a “moral re-birth and inculcate in Nigerians an anti-corruption mindset.
Represented by the Secretary of the Commission, Mr Clifford Oparaodu, the ICPC’s boss, pointed out that it has become imperative for stakeholders to “review, evaluate, re-strategize and retool (where necessary) for increased positive impact.
He explained that the objective of the evaluation of MDAs through the ethics and integrity compliance standards are particularly to monitor and evaluate them on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
“This is meant to ascertain their level of compliance with institutional ethics and integrity requirements and avail the ICPC with a tracking and diagnostic tool and intelligence to monitor system risks and vulnerabilities and direct management and leadership of the MDAs to take appropriate measures to mitigate them.
“I sincerely hope that this programme will afford us the needed opportunity to critically evaluate the effects of our numerous efforts in respect to these initiatives in the society, and create in us the motivation to do more”, he said.
“Attitudes has to be changed and anti-corruption mindset might be inculcated so as to overcome national and institutional challenges.
“It is therefore my pleasure to declare this stakeholders’ roundtable review of the implementation of the NEIP and EICS open, and to wish you fruitful deliberations that can usher in fresh ideas and more valuable approaches that capable of improving on the existing anti-corruption initiatives,” he added.
Earlier, participants at the meeting urged the ICPC to begin the practice of naming and shaming indicted corrupt government officials to serve as deterrent to others.
Name, shame indicted corrupt govt officials – Nigerians tell ICPC