ICPC, NCDMB partner in fight against corruption

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) have partnered with the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in its fight against corruption.

The Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner of the ICPC, Ekere Usiere, has lamented that the scourge of corruption has already brought Nigeria to its knees both economically and socially, urging citizens to take courage in exposing corruption.

Speaking on Thursday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, during the celebration of Anti-Corruption Day organised by the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of the NCDMB, Usiere said if Nigerians don’t take the courage to kill corruption, the nation risked being killed by corruption in the nearest future.

Presenting a paper titled; ‘From Fear To Courage: Overcoming Barriers To Whistleblowing In Nigeria’, the ICPC boss, if Nigeria must fight corruption, must put on the armour of courage and eschew fears.

“There is no gainsaying that the scourge of corruption has brought Nigeria to its knees, from economic underdevelopment to socio-political decadence. If we don’t kill corruption, corruption will definitely kill Nigeria. That is why we need an effective whistleblower mechanism as a critical tool to fight against corruption.

“To effectively blow the whistle against corruption, we, the citizens need courage. The absence of fear is simply the definition of courage. Citizens need to overcome cultural, psychological and systemic challenges to blow the whistle against corruption and other ills bedevilling our country Nigeria.

“This programme is therefore a timely and welcome development. This paper aims to charge participants to obliterate fear from their mindset and embrace the courage to blow the whistle against corruption.

“If we must fight corruption in Nigeria, and reduce it to the barest minimum, then we must put on the armour of courage to surmount the fear of whistle-blowing. If you see something, you must say something! If you hear something, you must say something,” she said.

Earlier, The Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omotsola Ogbe commended the NCDMB ACTU for an excellent job in putting the event together while reiterating his resolution to the staff of the board to protect the institution from all forms of corruption tendency through preventive strategies.

He said: “Today, we are marking and celebrating International Anti-Corruption Day, with the focus on raising the consciousness of our youths on the ills of corruption, and how it turns the socio-economic development of any nation, this is to send a strong message for extra-vigilance by all of us in combining the menace of our front.

“In NCDMB, we have taken deliberate steps to curb corruption, we have provided adequate support to our ACTU members by providing a functional office and giving them a free hand to discharge their functions.

“In the area of capacity building and awareness, we have deepened our participation in an Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria through capacity building training for staff, including training in corruption prevention techniques, strategies for the effective workplace anti-corruption campaign, bribery and corruption risk assessment, etc, all these underline the board stance against corruption.

“In the area of system check, we have instituted corrupt risk assessment probing major functions of the board including human resources, procurement, monitory evaluation, planning, research and statistics, all in a bit to mitigate vulnerability to corruption across the board.”

The event also had a debate competition for selected secondary from the six geo-political zones of the country, with Federal Government College, Warri, Delta State emerging as the winner, while Federal Government College, Kazaure, Jigawa State came second.

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