The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Mr. Ekpo Nta, has stated that it will take the collective effort of all Nigerians to fight and win the war against corruption in the country.
He made the statement recently through the Secretary to the Commission, Mr. Elvis Oglafa, while declaring open, a 2-day training workshop in Abuja tagged, “Implementing Ethics and Fraud/Corruption Prevention Strategies in Public and Private Organisations”. The workshop was jointly organised by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), the training arm of ICPC.
According to the ICPC Chairman, “It is true that the country has a number of important agencies all approaching the war against corruption from various complementary angles. However, it has become clear that, on their own, the anti-corruption agencies cannot expect to fight and win the war against corruption without input from other sectors.” He added that the country needed the contributions and buy-in of all citizens for the war to succeed.
Speaking on the importance of the workshop, Mr. Nta explained that the training was imperative as it would equip participants with the requisite skills and techniques needed to reduce corruption and entrench ethical values in their various organisations.
He further charged the participants to resolve to fight the scourge of corruption, imbibe integrity and uphold high ethical standards in their public and private lives while calling on them to ponder on the critical issues confronting the financial services sector with a view to coming up with suggestions on how to tackle the problem of fraud.
In his goodwill message, the Registrar/Chief Executive of CIBN, Seye Awojobi, who spoke through Sani Bakari, Head, National Secretariat Annex lauded ICPC for its active role in curtailing corruption-related crimes in Nigeria.
He reiterated the fact that fighting corruption would not be won by the singular effort of an agency but through an integrated approach and partnership.
“We will join forces with you and use our noble platform as the umbrella body for bankers and financial institutions to propagate the gospel of a corruption-free Nigeria,” he declared.