A board member of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Louis Solomon Mandama, mni has been conferred with an Icon of Integrity Award by the leadership of an Abuja-based Association known as Zero Tolerance for Corruption Association (ZTCA).
Speaking at the award ceremony which was held recently at the headquarters of ICPC in Abuja, Alamin Abbass, the Acting President of the Association said the decision to confer the award on Mandama was arrived at during the Association’s National Executive Committee meeting held in Yola, Adamawa State.
“Your name was submitted to us right before you got appointed as a board member of ICPC. We did not only do our research about you, but we have also been following your track record and found out that you are credible, accountable, adaptable, and reliable. That is why we have decided to pay you this courtesy visit which we believe will serve as encouragement and motivation for you to continue the good work you are doing for the nation and humanity,” he said.
While responding after his decoration with the Icon of Integrity emblem and his proclamation as a “Five-Star General in the Fight against Corruption”, Dr. Mandama thanked the Association for considering him worthy of the award, saying being identified as an Icon of Integrity speaks volumes and he couldn’t be happier that his journey in life and all he achieved as a seasoned administrator were being considered worthy of emulation and inspiration for the youths.
“…what you have just stated about my character and person speaks volumes to the reality that whatever you do, someone is there watching and posterity would judge and I believe this is the fruit of my service to the nation for thirty-three years.
“Thank you for finding me worthy to be an Icon of Integrity. This is an indication that whatever I may have done in the past, I have to put in more work, bequeath more legacies most especially for the teeming younger generations,” he said.
Dr. Mandama also used the opportunity to encourage Nigerian students and the youths to resist temptation and not allow peer-group pressure to derail them from upholding moral and ethical standards.
In his vote of thanks, ICPC’s Director of Public Enlightenment and Education Department, Mohammed Ashiru Baba, fsi described the conferment as a turning point for the awardee saying he did not only represent integrity but the Commission has also been benefiting from his wealth of experience since he assumed office as a board member with the anti-graft agency.
Mr. Baba also expressed hope that the partnership of the Association with ICPC would continue to blossom as it would serve as an avenue for the mentoring of the young ones in the fight against corruption.