The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has stated that the fight against corruption through its enforcement, prevention and public mobilisation mandate has made a great impact on the citizenry.
The Commission stated this recently through an Assistant Commissioner, Mr. Hassan Salihu during the launch of Season 4 (four) of ‘Corruption Tori’, an anti-corruption television series by Signature Communications Ltd, owners of Signature TV.
‘Corruption Tori’, funded by MacArthur Foundation, preaches against corruption with special investigative reports and mini documentaries on issues of corruption, including those of high-profile government officials, across Nigeria.
Mr. Salihu noted that ICPC had done a lot in the anti-corruption fight through its tripartite mandate just as he lauded Signature TV for fostering public support in the fight against corruption.
“We have been doing our best and corruption is being dealt with on a daily basis, especially in the area of prevention and also enforcement. You can see how we have been preventing a lot of funds from being stolen by corrupt people. And at the same time, you can see us in television and through the mass media. So, we’ve been trying our best and I think we are impacting more in the citizenry.
“What Signature Television is doing today is part of our mandate. We’ve been working with them as the initiative is in line with the mandate of the Commission to unearth corruption in the country” he said.
In his welcome remark, the Chief Executive Officer of Signature TV, Mr. Vin Martin Obiora Ilo, stated that the ‘Corruption Tori’ television programme was targeted at the ordinary people who might not understand the complexities of issues in the fight against corruption in the country.
He added the programme had transcended from using television to reach out to the target audience to having one-one interaction with them adding that other initiatives, like reward for individuals who had distinguished themselves in the fight against corruption, had also been added.
“In the last five years, we have not only used our television programs on AIT and NTA, on social media and everywhere. We are also using one-on-one interactions, the kind of thing we are doing today.
“We have brought in what we call the ‘Corruption Tori Town Halls’ where we take our program from television and take it to rural areas. We have also started our “Corruption Tori School Clubs”. As I speak, we have 20 anti-corruption clubs across the country. The idea is to catch them young. Let the children have a buy-in in this anti-corruption fight.”
Highpoints of the event was a debate competition and rendition of anti-corruption theme songs by some selected students from Government Junior Secondary School, Mpape, Abuja, Baptist High School, Abuja and Bellanadia School, Mpape, Abuja.