The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has called on universities across Africa to raise a generation that values honesty, accountability and patriotism as a sustainable strategy for eradicating corruption and driving national development.
According to an official statement signed by the Spokesperson and Head, Media and Public Communications of the ICPC, J. Okor Odey, the ICPC Chairman made the call during the commemoration of the 2026 African Union Anti-Corruption Day held at the Conference Hall of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Abuja.
The event, themed “Scaling Up the Promotion of Integrity and Anti-Corruption Actions Across Africa,” brought together key stakeholders from government, academia, anti-corruption agencies and civil society to deliberate on practical strategies for strengthening integrity and promoting ethical values across the continent.
Delivering the keynote address through the Director of the ICPC Public Education Department, Mr. Demola Bakare, fsi, Aliyu described the theme as timely and strategic, noting that corruption remains one of the greatest obstacles to Africa’s socio-economic transformation, democratic governance, peace and sustainable development.
He said corruption weakens public institutions, diverts scarce resources meant for development, discourages investment, widens inequality and erodes public confidence in government.
Aliyu stressed that addressing the challenge requires more than enforcement, saying governments, educational institutions, civil society organisations, the private sector, faith-based organisations, the media and citizens must work together to build strong institutions, nurture ethical leadership and promote a culture of integrity.
He urged institutions to strengthen internal accountability mechanisms while encouraging individuals to demonstrate integrity through their daily decisions and actions.
The ICPC Chairman also called on stakeholders to move beyond dialogue and embrace concrete actions that would strengthen institutions, safeguard public resources and build societies where corruption is rejected and integrity is celebrated.
Declaring the event open, the Vice-Chancellor of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Professor Uduma Oji Uduma, represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Technology Innovation and Research, Professor Christine Ofulue, described corruption as a serious threat to Africa’s stability and development.
He noted that Nigeria’s demographic and economic importance means its success or failure in combating corruption has far-reaching implications for the continent.
According to the Vice-Chancellor, corruption fuels insecurity, weakens governance, hampers economic development and diminishes citizens’ confidence in public institutions.
He maintained that the fight against corruption cannot be left to governments alone, stressing that educational institutions, professional bodies, the private sector, civil society organisations, the media, religious institutions and individual citizens all have critical roles to play in building a society where integrity is cherished and corruption is rejected.
Professor Uduma added that as Nigeria’s foremost Open and Distance Learning institution, NOUN remains committed to producing graduates who are not only academically excellent but also embody honesty, accountability and a commitment to public service.
Earlier, the Chairperson of NOUN’s Anti-Corruption and Transparency Monitoring Unit (ACTU), Mrs. Doris C-L. Nzenwa, described corruption as “the mother of all evils,” blaming it for insecurity, terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, rape, economic backwardness, hunger and avoidable deaths.
She stressed that the fight against corruption is a collective responsibility and called for the mobilisation of every segment of society across Africa and beyond to confront the menace.
The event featured paper presentations and an anti-corruption debate between students from the NSCDC Study Centre and the Wuse II Study Centre on the topic, “Sanctions Are More Effective Than Education in the Eradication of Corruption in Society.”
The debate provided participants with an opportunity to examine the merits of sanctions and ethical education as tools for combating corruption while highlighting the importance of youth engagement in promoting integrity and accountability.
A vote of thanks was delivered by Mr. Muyiwa Harrison, who represented the Registrar of the National Open University of Nigeria, Mr. Oladipupo Ajayi.
The event concluded with stakeholders reaffirming their commitment to strengthening collaboration in advancing integrity, accountability and transparency while scaling up anti-corruption actions across Africa.
