ICPC Boss Advocates Strong Institutions, Ethical Leadership To Defeat Corruption

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission ( ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has outlined a 3-point plan to tackle corruption in Africa, saying it requires building strong institutions, nurturing ethical leadership, and promoting a culture of integrity beyond just law enforcement.

Aliyu stated this during the 2026 African Union Anti-Corruption Day celebration hosted by the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit, ACTU, of the National Open University of Nigeria, NOUN, in Abuja.

He described corruption as one of the biggest obstacles to Africa’s socio-economic transformation, democratic governance, peace, and sustainable development.

“Corruption weakens public institutions, diverts scarce resources meant for development, discourages investment, widens inequality, and erodes citizens’ confidence in government,” he said.

“Addressing these challenges requires more than enforcement alone. It demands a continental commitment to building strong institutions, nurturing ethical leadership, and promoting a culture of integrity among citizens,” Aliyu added.

Also speaking at the event, the Vice Chancellor of NOUN, Prof. Uduma Oji Uduma, said Nigeria’s role on the continent makes its anti-corruption success critical for Africa.

“Corruption poses a serious threat to the stability and development of the African continent. Given Nigeria’s demographic and economic significance, our success or failure in tackling corruption has far-reaching implications for Africa as a whole,” he stated.
“Corruption fuels insecurity, weakens governance, hampers economic development and diminishes citizens’ confidence in public institutions,” the VC added.

In her welcome address, Head of ACTU at NOUN, Mrs Doris C-L Nzenwa, described corruption as “the mother of all evil” and called for a collective response.

She added that corruption is the harbinger of insecurity, terrorism and all other social vices that plague the society.

“The fight against corruption is not an exercise of entertainment. It is a fight against the mother of all evil known to mankind. Corruption is the harbinger of insecurity, terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, rape, economic backwardness, skewed reward system, hunger, and avoidable deaths, to mention but a few.

“It all starts from a lack of understanding of the effects of corruption on society the social and economic elements of the society. Hence, if the fight against corruption must have the desired impact, every element of society, not just in Africa, but across the globe, must be recruited into the fight,” stated Nzenwa.

The keynote speaker, Prof. Willy Ugwuanyi, delivered a detailed presentation on the theme of this year’s celebration and highlighted the widespread implications of corruption as it affects every sector of society.

This year’s African Union Anti-Corruption Day was tagged “Scaling Up The Promotion of Integrity and Anti-Corruption Actions Across Africa,” and it is celebrated yearly on the 14th of July.

The celebration featured a heated debate, among other activities, and the participants were drawn from the various study centres of NOUN. The winners were adequately rewarded for their stellar performances.