The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Chinese government have exchanged experiences and strategies on tackling corruption and strengthening accountability in both countries.
The engagement took place at the Third Edition of the International Diplomatic Dialogue, themed, “Experience Sharing in Anti-Corruption Policies and Strategies: The Chinese Perspective,” held at the ICPC Headquarters in Abuja.
The ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, said the engagement underscored the importance of learning from international experiences and adopting global best practices that could strengthen Nigeria’s anti-corruption policies and strategies.
According to an official statement signed by the Head, Media and Public Communications, ICPC, J. Okor Odey, Dr. Aliyu said Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts could benefit from comparative experiences, innovative approaches and best practices adapted to the country’s local realities.
He noted that corruption remained a major threat to political, socio-economic and developmental progress, particularly where it was allowed to thrive unchecked.
Dr. Aliyu said China had made significant progress in its fight against corruption through institutions such as the National Supervisory Commission (NSC) and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).
He explained that the Commission was interested in understanding China’s strategies, including its institutional and legal reforms as well as enforcement mechanisms deployed in tackling corruption.
The ICPC Chairman recalled that the Commission had previously hosted the Kenyan High Commissioner to Nigeria and the Ambassador of Indonesia to Nigeria during earlier editions of the International Diplomatic Dialogue.
He said the engagements had provided opportunities for knowledge-sharing and comparative assessment of approaches adopted by different countries in combating corruption.
Also speaking, the Provost of the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), Prof. Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, said China’s transformation into a major economic and technological power was supported by strong political will and sustained efforts to combat corruption.
He said China had strengthened its anti-corruption system through unified investigations, a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and the use of technology to improve transparency and detect corrupt practices.
Prof. Ibrahim also highlighted the relevance of values such as righteousness, propriety, wisdom, sincerity and integrity in promoting ethical conduct, calling for greater comparative learning between Nigeria and China to strengthen accountability and support sustainable development.
In his keynote address, the Cultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria and Director of the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, Counsellor Yang Juanxing, said China’s anti-corruption strategy went beyond investigating and punishing individual offenders.
He explained that the approach combined enforcement with prevention, institutional reform, oversight and education to build a system where people were “unwilling to corrupt, unable to corrupt and afraid to corrupt.”
Yang stressed that accountability must apply to everyone, irrespective of position, power or personal connections.
He identified values, strong institutions and the rule of law as critical pillars of a sustainable anti-corruption framework, while advocating transparent procedures, effective oversight and appropriate consequences for violations of the law.
The International Diplomatic Dialogue was organised by ACAN, the research and training arm of the ICPC, to facilitate the exchange of knowledge, ideas and experiences on anti-corruption practices among countries.
