The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Mr. Ekpo Nta, has made a case for policies of government to be research-driven to enable them achieve their objectives.
Mr. Nta, while receiving the Acting Provost of the Centre for Strategic Research and Studies (CSRS), National Defence College, Dr. Gani Joses Yoroms, who was at the Commission on a courtesy visit, explained that policies of government should be research-driven so as to avoid unintended consequences.
He also added that where problems arise in the implementation of policies, they should be reviewed and fine-tuned. The ICPC Chairman cited the example of the whistle-blowing policy which addresses recovered funds but could benefit from an operational approach that plugs the loopholes that allowed the funds to be stolen in the first place.
The ICPC boss said that the Commission was very interested in research aimed at studying loopholes of corruption and proffering long-term solutions to them.
He mentioned the recently launched harmonized National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS), the first of its kind in Nigeria which is a 5-year strategic plan aimed at presenting a blueprint for all stakeholders in the fight against corruption as one that is likely to achieve its objectives.
Speaking on the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), the training arm of the Commission, Mr. Nta said it was well-equipped and positioned for all kinds of anti-corruption training that includes distance-learning with flexible study time for participants’ convenience.
He expressed the Commission’s willingness to partner with the Centre to further educate people on important security and anti-corruption issues.
In his remarks, the Acting Provost of the Centre, Dr. Yoroms, expressed the desire to build a good working relationship with ICPC as one of the security agencies in the country.
He said that part of the proposed partnership would be capacity-building on the security implication of ICPC’s work for middle and senior cadre staff of the Commission.