The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), as part of its mandate of preventing corruption and inculcating integrity in the younger generation, has inaugurated a Students Anti-Corruption Club (SAC) at Zenith High School, Osogbo, Osun State.
In her address during the inauguration, Ms. Winifred Ingobro, a senior officer of the Commission, explained the tripartite mandate of the Commission to the students and emphasised that ICPC believes in recruiting youths to the anti-graft campaign.
She explained further that ICPC’s mandate includes enforcement, corruption prevention, and public education and enlightenment to foster public support as stipulated in the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Act, 2000.
Ingobro commended the authorities of Zenith High School for their decision to join the campaign against corruption through the inauguration of the SAC. She said that membership of the club would change the mindset of the students in order to make them better citizens. She urged them to abide by the rules and regulations guiding the club as the students were expected to have integrity and also lead by example.
Mr. Sulyman Laaro, who supervised the election to the Club executives, advised the newly elected executives to make honesty their watchword. He used the event to discuss the causes and effects of corruption in the society and explained that “poverty does not cause corruption but greed does, and it leads to poverty”.
Furthermore, he educated the school teachers on the National Values Curriculum (NVC), an initiative of ICPC, aimed at building principled youths for national development. He said the Curriculum was developed in partnership with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).
Officials of ICPC used the occasion to monitor the implementation and teaching of the National Values Curriculum as infused in the school curriculum at the school.
At the end of the lecture, IEC materials were handed over to the teachers and the SAC executives to further enlighten themselves on the activities of the Commission.