The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has inaugurated the first Student Anti-Corruption Vanguard (SAV) in Nasarawa State, in the College of Health and Science Technology, Keffi, Nasarawa State.
The inauguration was conducted by a team of ICPC led by a Chief Superintendent with the Public Enlightenment and Education Department of the Commission, Mr. Kalu Collins Iroha took place on Friday, 18th June 2023 at the school premises.
Mr. Iroha enumerated the benefits of the Vanguard to include bringing back the moral values both in the school and the society at large, and also expressed the hope that the Vanguard would assist ICPC in creating awareness about the Commission.
In a paper presentation titled, “About the ICPC”, Mr. Mfon Umoh, a Principal Superintendent, charged the students to always uphold good values and join in the fight against corruption to achieve their dreams, while stressing that the fight against corruption required collective effort.
Mr. Umoh went further to shed light on some of the values of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy (NEIP) such as Human Dignity, Voice & Participation, Patriotism, Personal Responsibility, Integrity, National Unity and Professionalism and therefore charged the students to be watchdogs on corruption at home, the school and in the larger society.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Provost of the College, Alhaji Suleiman Mohammed, said the school had prepared itself to have an anti-corruption unit and the consequent inauguration of the Vanguard in the school.
Alhaji Mohammed said that contrary to most thinking, money was just one aspect of the cankerworm and added that so many things make up corruption and that a student can be corrupt just as a teacher can also be corrupt.
The Patron of the Vanguard and the Dean School of Diagnostic and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mrs. Talatu Marcus, thanked ICPC for recognizing the College and mentioned that the awareness which ICPC was going to create was necessary to give the students a voice and a platform to contribute their quota towards achieving a better Nigeria.
The event was witnessed by both management and staff of the institution.