In a decisive move to nurture integrity from the classroom upwards, the Imo State Office of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has recently carried out a sensitisation programme and inaugurated a Students’ Anti-Corruption Club (SAC) at Boys’ Secondary School, New Owerri.
The initiative, part of the Commission’s preventive public enlightenment mandate, seeks to catch young citizens early and equip them with the ethical grounding required for responsible leadership.
Addressing the students, Mr. Onakpoberuo Onoriode Victor, an Assistant Chief Superintendent of the Commission delivered an impassioned lecture on ethics, good conduct and character development, insisting that honesty, discipline and accountability remain the surest pathways to personal greatness.
He warned that academic excellence alone is hollow without strong moral character, urging the boys to set clear life goals and cultivate healthy study habits from a young age.
Fellow ICPC officer Mr. Tom Ezekiel charged the students to shun all forms of corruption, noting that dishonest behaviour often begins with seemingly minor acts such as lying, cheating or examination malpractice.
Ezekiel stressed that the fight against graft requires every citizen’s active participation, encouraging the boys to act as whistleblowers and maintain high standards of personal integrity.
The highlight of the programme was the inauguration of the club’s executive members, with Mr. Ezekiel administering the Oath of Office to the newly elected officers. He called on them to serve as exemplary leaders and ambassadors of integrity, worthy of emulation by their peers across the school community.
Responding on behalf of the school, the club’s adviser, Mrs. Ohams F.I., thanked the ICPC for the timely and impactful initiative, noting that the lessons on integrity and career development would positively shape the students’ attitudes.
The event drew 103 enthusiastic students and concluded with a group photograph and informal interactions between the ICPC team and the boys. The Students’ Anti-Corruption Club is a preventive educational vehicle designed to foster national consciousness and nurture a generation of patriotic, disciplined future leaders committed to a corruption-free Nigeria.
From classroom to citizenship, the commission reaffirmed its pledge to catch them young; building, one club at a time, a lasting culture of integrity among the nation’s youth.