The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has reiterated the need for students to be properly guided and cared for to avoid untoward behaviour.
Mr Mfon Umoh, who represented the Public Enlightenment and Education Department of the Commission, made this known at a Virtual Reality Film Screening for Social Change organized by Step Up Nigeria in Abuja on Thursday.
The film, “Sherifat’s School”, follows the life of a young student and her dream to become a renowned lawyer along two alternate realities – one reality shows her dreams being shattered by corruption while the alternate ending presents what would happen in a corruption-free community.
Umoh stated that parents and guardians must take responsibility for the training and development of their wards by paying attention to their actions and lifestyle. In his opinion, parents must present positive ideals for a child to learn from and follow and advised them to train their children to “choose their friends and not let their friends choose them”.
He added that external influences from social groups can pressure a child into adopting negative behaviour, citing the ICPC-developed National Values Curriculum as a viable set of guidelines to educate and nurture children to ensure their mindset is positively impacted.
In the same vein, the Spokesperson of the Commission, Mrs Azuka Ogugua urged stakeholders present to continue playing their part in sensitizing the general public on the cost of corruption because wherever corruption occurs, the citizens are the victims.
Speaking on the film, the spokesperson pointed out that the Commission’s Constituency and Executive Project Tracking Initiative (CEPTI) encourages citizens to reach out to the Commission via its toll-free lines, to make enquiries on projects approved for various communities. According to her, this information would be invaluable in preventing corruption and ensuring that all projects are properly executed.
Earlier while welcoming participants, the Programme Director Step Up Nigeria, Mr Samuel Asimi, stated that the objectives of the event were to highlight negative social behaviour, discuss ways to circumvent corruption, develop viable action plans and discover new ways to encourage stakeholders.
He added that the event presented an opportunity to utilize technology to shed light on the issues that plague the society. He stated that Step Up Nigeria aims to continue using story-telling to bridge the gap between the government and citizens of the country.
The screening was attended by various stakeholders including anti-graft agencies and representatives of the education sector.