By Nkechi Eze
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has urged Nigerian youths to take a firm stand against corruption, describing them as the nation’s most critical drivers of integrity and sustainable national development. He made the charge on Tuesday at the 2025 International Anti-Corruption Day commemoration held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Central Business District, Abuja.
In an official signed statement, the Spokesperson for the Commission, J. Okor Odey, disclosed that the ICPC Chairman, speaking on the theme “Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity,” emphasised that young Nigerians hold the key to building a corruption-free society. Dr. Aliyu noted that the energy, creativity and courage of the youth provide a powerful foundation for strengthening national integrity systems, adding that empowering them with the right values, tools and opportunities will produce a generation capable of confronting corruption at its roots. He urged them to be bold, united and unwavering, stressing that while corruption threatens national dreams, integrity strengthens them.
Dr. Aliyu also highlighted the Commission’s extensive youth-focused programmes designed to embed transparency and accountability across communities. These include anti-corruption lectures in National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps nationwide, NYSC–ICPC community development activities and the establishment of anti-corruption clubs in schools. He further revealed that the Commission has scaled up efforts to enhance local-level transparency through the Joint National Local Government Accountability Framework Workshops and the Accountability and Corruption Prevention Programme for Local Governments (ACPP-LG).
Delivering the keynote address, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, described the event as an essential platform for raising awareness about the dangers of corruption and deepening the nation’s collective resolve to tackle it. He reaffirmed that youth empowerment remains a major priority of the current administration, noting that young Nigerians stand as powerful agents of change and custodians of the nation’s democratic future. He urged them to embrace accountability and make integrity a national value that outlives generations.
Earlier, the Head of the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR), Mrs. Jane O. Onwumere, explained that the annual observance of International Anti-Corruption Day designated globally by the United Nations for December 9 serves as a reminder of the destructive effects of corruption and the urgent need for collective action. She added that this year’s focus on youth is particularly significant, underscoring their role not merely as beneficiaries of good governance but as co-creators of it. She linked the persistence of corruption to the growing “japa” trend among young Nigerians and stressed that investing in youth capacity remains the most sustainable pathway to national integrity.
The event featured two panel sessions and an inter-school debate, with Model Girls Secondary School, Maitama, emerging victorious a symbolic reflection of the active role young people continue to play in promoting integrity, accountability and a corruption-free future for Nigeria.
