The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has urged media professionals and public relations practitioners to deploy truthful, accurate and responsible communication in the fight against corruption.
According to an official statement signed by J. Okor Odey, Head, Media and Public Communications, ICPC, Aliyu made the call in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at the 4th Economic Confidential Annual Lecture and 6th National Spokespersons Awards, organised by Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR).
The event, themed “Anti-Corruption Reforms, Economic Stability and Effective Communication,” brought together government officials, spokespersons, editors, journalists, diplomats, security agencies and civil society representatives at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja.
The ICPC Chairman said strategic communication remained one of the most underestimated tools in the fight against corruption, stressing that citizens would be unable to support reforms they neither understood nor trusted.
“Strategic communication remains one of the most underestimated tools in the fight against corruption. Citizens cannot support reforms they neither understand nor trust,” Aliyu said.
He warned that irresponsible messaging that constantly emphasises the widespread nature of corruption could produce the opposite of the desired effect by creating public fatigue and reinforcing the perception that corruption is inevitable.
“Communication about corruption must acknowledge the problem honestly while empowering citizens with information on how to resist, report and prevent corrupt practices,” he said.
Aliyu, citing guidance from the Basel Institute on Governance, said specific and locally relevant messages connected to citizens’ daily experiences were more effective than broad campaigns that merely highlighted the evils of corruption.
He said emphasising the fact that the overwhelming majority of citizens reject corruption could help strengthen public confidence and encourage collective action against graft.
“The overwhelming majority of citizens reject corruption, and emphasising this reality can strengthen public confidence and encourage collective action against graft,” the ICPC Chairman said.
Aliyu described the media as a critical component of the anti-corruption ecosystem, noting that investigative journalism had played a significant role in exposing corruption cases and driving institutional reforms in Nigeria.
He, however, urged journalists to protect the credibility of the profession by prioritising accuracy, professionalism, fairness and objectivity over sensationalism.
“The media is a critical component of the anti-corruption ecosystem, and investigative journalism has played a significant role in exposing corruption and driving institutional reforms in Nigeria,” he said.
He added, “Journalists must protect the credibility of the profession by prioritising accuracy, professionalism, fairness and objectivity over sensationalism.”
The ICPC Chairman also identified artificial intelligence and other digital technologies as important tools that could strengthen the fight against corruption through predictive analytics, fraud detection and procurement monitoring.
He cautioned, however, that emerging threats such as deepfakes and digital misinformation required stronger legal safeguards to ensure that technological innovation served transparency rather than becoming a vehicle for sophisticated forms of corruption.
“Technology must serve transparency and accountability, rather than become a vehicle for sophisticated forms of corruption,” Aliyu said.
Aliyu further called for greater emphasis on integrity education, saying the fight against corruption could not be won through enforcement alone.
He disclosed that the Commission was consolidating its school-based interventions into a National Schools Integrity Programme, stressing that while enforcement addresses the symptoms of corruption, changing societal values addresses its root causes.
“While enforcement addresses the symptoms of corruption, changing societal values addresses its root causes,” he said.
“Integrity must become Nigeria’s national culture rather than merely a legal obligation,” the ICPC Chairman declared.
On the Commission’s enforcement and prevention efforts, Aliyu disclosed that its Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative had tracked 4,582 public projects valued at more than N22.53 trillion between 2023 and June 2026.
He said the initiative had facilitated the recovery of stalled projects worth N507.04 billion and generated an estimated N385.62 billion in savings for government.
He also disclosed that court-ordered forfeitures had resulted in the recovery of properties worth more than N5 billion linked to the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, alongside N941.9 million associated with a 2024 payroll fraud scheme.
Aliyu said the outcomes demonstrated the importance of evidence-based communication in sustaining public confidence in anti-corruption interventions.
The ICPC Chairman commended the National Spokespersons Awards for recognising excellence in public communication, describing effective communication as indispensable to national development.
He said the Commission had adopted a similar approach in its public enlightenment activities by linking its messages to tangible outcomes and engaging trusted traditional, religious and community leaders to promote citizen confidence and reporting.
In his welcome remarks, the Managing Director of IMPR, Mallam Yushau Shuaib, described Aliyu as an advocate of due process and a stalwart of anti-graft policy and asset recovery.
Shuaib also stressed the important role of communication professionals in crisis management and in shaping public perception.
The event featured the presentation of a research report on “Artificial Intelligence in Crisis Communication in Nigeria,” while Aliyu was honoured with an award for championing anti-corruption reforms in recognition of his leadership of the Commission’s enforcement, prevention and public enlightenment efforts.
Aliyu urged communication professionals to see themselves as “shapers of perception,” stressing that the anti-corruption campaign must be supported by truth-telling that is “honest enough to be believed, and hopeful enough to be followed.”
“Communication professionals must see themselves as shapers of perception in the fight against corruption,” he said.
He added that “the anti-corruption campaign must be supported by truth-telling that is honest enough to be believed, and hopeful enough to be followed.”
