By Miriam Humbe
Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Adamu Aliyu SAN, has ascribed the current economic challenges faced by the nation to corruption.
A statement signed by ICPC’s Spokesperson, Mrs. Azuka Ogugua on Thursday revealed that the ICPC Chairman said this during a courtesy visit by members of the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) to the Commission’s Headquarters on Thursday.
Dr. Aliyu who was represented by the Secretary to the Commission, Mr. Clifford Okwudiri Oparaodu, said that Nigeria was facing the realities of corruption, which had drastically affected the development of the economy.
He therefore encouraged Nigerians to be patient while ensuring that they contribute their quota to the ongoing reform of the nation.
Speaking on the enlightenment mandate of the Commission, the Chairman said it was important for Nigerians to adhere to policies to curb the challenges being faced in the execution of constituency and executive projects.
He stressed the importance of placing significance on enlightening the public on and against corruption by institutions like the CJID and individuals, saying that one of the core mandates of the Commission is public enlightenment.
Furthermore, he advised the CJID to take advantage of the Freedom of Information Act to get information from government agencies, adding that when agencies refuse to disclose the information they requested, CJID could sue them in court.
Earlier in his remarks, the leader of the team and CEO of CJID, Mr. Dapo Olorunyomi, stated that the visit was aimed at strengthening the already existing relationship between the organisation and the ICPC, as well as to identify areas to assist the Commission in the tracking of constituency and executive projects.
Mr. Olorunyomi emphasised the need for a lot more direct engagement with citizens as Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACAs) could not win the fight against corruption alone and that it was important to enlighten citizens more about CEPTI as the organisation could also aid the tracking exercise if armed with adequate knowledge.
He said the Centre had faced some challenges in receiving data from some MDAs and expressed the hope that ICPC would be able to assist in that regard.
The CJID boss said that CJID was willing to bring an interface of media engagement to the Commission’s work and in addition, lend and share global database resources that would help the Commission’s investigation activities.
The visit ended with the exchange of publications and group photographs.
