The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has called on the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to design innovative technologies to aid the fight against corruption, assuring the agency of ICPC’s willingness to collaborate in this effort.
Dr. Aliyu made this call during a courtesy visit by the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, and his team to the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
Highlighting the critical role of technology in both perpetrating and combating corruption, the ICPC Chairman disclosed that the Commission recently blocked the diversion of approximately N1.6 billion through the deployment of technology-based interventions.
“We cannot fight corruption without being smart. We know the increasing use of technology in committing corrupt acts, but we are also leveraging the same technology to fight back. Because of the deployment of technological tools, we were able to block N1.6 billion that could have been stolen.” Dr. Aliyu said.
The ICPC Boss emphasized the need for strategic partnerships in addressing corruption, especially given its global nature, stressing that the innovative mandate of NASENI and the enforcement mandate of ICPC provide a unique opportunity for synergy that could yield impactful results.
He further assured that ICPC is prepared to use its enforcement powers and lawful instruments to ensure compliance with technology-driven innovations targeted at fighting corruption adding, “If we could work together, we would be able to block some areas where we are having this challenge,”.
Dr. Aliyu outlined specific areas for collaboration between the two agencies. “First, I would like us to collaborate in the tracking of public funds and procurement processes. Seventy to eighty percent of corruption happens in the area of procurement. Second, we need to design a secure whistleblower platform, because we cannot fight corruption without access to information.”
He also offered the Commission’s support in further promoting transparency and accountability within NASENI through the strengthening of the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) in the agency.
To solidify the collaboration, Dr. Aliyu proposed the creation of a Joint Innovation Task Team (JITT) to identify priority areas for joint action and ensure the sustainability of the partnership through consistent engagement and then the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
In his remarks, NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, expressed his commitment to deepening the agency’s collaboration with the ICPC. He emphasized the importance of digitalizing operational processes to prevent issues such as document leakage and pledged NASENI’s readiness to share its technical expertise with the Commission.
Mr. Halilu said, “We are keen to extend our partnership to the ICPC. There is an urgent need to digitalize internal processes to improve security and efficiency, and we would be happy to share our knowledge and experience in this area.”
The meeting concluded with both parties reaffirming their shared vision of using innovation and collaboration to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts.