Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu SAN, has said the Commission would go all out in its bid to stamp out corruption as one of the keys to actualizing good governance, growth and development of the country.
Mrs. Azuka Ogugua, spokesperson for the ICPC made this known in a statement signed on Wednesday.
Dr Aliyu made this assertion 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 on Wednesday.
The ICPC boss said that the Commission owed it to citizenry to detect and tackle corruption that has negatively impacted the image of Nigeria for so long.
He said the impact of corruption was manifested in underdevelopment and poverty which made the prospect of investment unappealing.
He therefore insisted that the responsibility for projecting the country in a positive light, must be a collective effort.
Dr Aliyu said that his predecessors had left a legacy of strategic partnerships with organisations which he intended to build upon, even as there was a viable track record of ICPC and NEPAD working together on various projects including election monitoring.
He said that future collaborations must be geared towards projecting a positive image of Nigeria to encourage internal and foreign investment while fostering development.
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.
Secretary to the Commission, Mr. Clifford Oparaodu suggested that policies developed from joint initiatives between the Commission 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), Gloria Akobundu who led the visiting delegation, said NEPAD hoped to ensure Nigeria was respected continentaly and globally.
This she said, could be achieved by advocating for improved governance and economic growth.
Akobundu said that the APRM initiative was meant to encourage African countries to foster healthy relationships based on self-assessment and improvement.
