War on corruption, key to good governance, development — ICPC chairman

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu SAN, on Wednesday, assured of the commission’s  commitment to go all-out in its bid to stamp out corruption as one of the keys to actualising good governance, growth and development of the country.

The chairman made this known during a strategic meeting with delegates from the African Union Development Agency-New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

According to Dr Aliyu, ICPC owed Nigerians the responsibility of detecting and tackling corruption that had negatively impacted the image of the country for so long.

A news release signed by the spokesperson of the anti-graft agency, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, made available to Tribune Online, quoted the chairman as saying corruption had manifested in underdevelopment and poverty which made the prospect of investment unappealing.

The ICPC boss, however, insisted that the responsibility of projecting the country in a positive light must be a collective effort.

Aliyu informed  that his predecessors had left a legacy of strategic partnerships with organisations which he intended to build upon, pointing out that there was a viable track record of ICPC and NEPAD working together on various projects including election monitoring. 

He added that future collaborations must be geared towards projecting a positive image of Nigeria to encourage internal and foreign investments while fostering development.

Speaking from a larger perspective, the ICPC Chairman pointed out that eradicating corruption in Nigeria would be infectious to neighbouring countries and the continent as a whole which in turn would significantly boost development through improved socio-economic values and infrastructure.

The Secretary to the Commission, Mr Clifford Oparaodu, on his part, suggested that policies developed from joint initiatives between ICPC and stakeholders would be invaluable to development as a result of increased efficiency.

The Chief Executive Officer of AUDA-NEPAD, African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), Honourable Princess Gloria Akobundu, who led the visiting delegation, said NEPAD hoped to ensure Nigeria was respected continentally and globally. 

According to her, this could only be achieved by advocating for improved governance and economic growth. 

Akobundu asserted that the APRM initiative was meant to encourage African countries to foster healthy relationships based on self-assessment and improvement.