In a stirring demonstration of commitment to moral regeneration, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, paid a landmark visit to two educational institutions in Sokoto yesterday, delivering a powerful message on the transformative power of integrity to the nation’s youngest citizens.
Dr. Aliyu addressed pupils and students of Yahayya Abdulkarim Government Girls’ Day Secondary School and Yahayya Abdulkarim Model Primary School along Dorowa Road, in what marked a significant departure from conventional enforcement strategies toward preventive education at the grassroots level.
The combined sensitisation programme, which drew enthusiastic participation from both schools, was meticulously designed to inculcate the virtues of honesty, accountability, transparency, and ethical fortitude in impressionable young minds.
In his address, the ICPC Chairman articulated a compelling vision: that the war against corruption must be waged not merely through tribunals and investigations, but through the deliberate cultivation of moral character from childhood.
“Children who today reject falsehood and theft are tomorrow’s responsible leaders who will spurn corruption, embezzlement, and all forms of unethical conduct,” the Chairman asserted, his words resonating through the assembly halls.
The ICPC delegation received a gracious welcome from the schools’ leadership, including the Principal of the secondary school, Mrs. Murjanatu Muhammad, and the Headmistress of the primary school, Malama Luba Musa, alongside members of the teaching staff and administrative personnel.
In her address of welcome, Mrs. Muhammad characterised the Chairman’s visit as a signal honour for the institution. She lauded the Commission’s unwavering efforts in combating corruption and championing the values of probity and accountability nationwide.
The Principal further noted that Dr. Aliyu’s personal engagement with students demonstrated his profound commitment to nurturing morally sound young Nigerians, and affirmed the school’s wholehearted dedication to supporting the anti-corruption crusade through the promotion of integrity within the school community and beyond.
During a lively interactive session, the Chairman exhorted the students to embrace honesty as a way of life, abstaining from deceit, cheating, and dishonesty in all their endeavours. He urged them to demonstrate exemplary conduct both within the school premises and at home, whilst emphasising the importance of punctuality, obedience to parents and teachers, and strict adherence to school regulations.
The event drew to a close with a commemorative group photograph featuring the Chairman, the school management teams, and the executives and members of the Students Anti-Corruption Club; a poignant symbol of the partnership forged between the Commission and the next generation of ethical Nigerians.
This engagement in Sokoto represents yet another milestone in the ICPC’s strategic initiative to embed ethical values at the heart of Nigeria’s educational system, ensuring that the fight against corruption is sustained not only through enforcement but through the transformation of minds and hearts from the earliest age.