Anti-Graft: We Will Deploy Technology In Public Service Beginning With Politicians, Says ICPC

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission, (ICPC) on Tuesday said it would depend on the use of technology to eliminate corruption from the public service in Nigeria by clamping down on corrupt politicians, irrespective of their status or political party affiliation.

The commission also called on political leaders to promote core values that would positively impact on the practice of anti-corruption social norms in the country.

The Chairman of the ICPC, Musa Aliyu, represented by its acting Director of Operations, Shehu Yahaya, dropped the hint in Abuja during a training workshop for leaders of political parties in Nigeria organised by the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) with support from MacArthur Foundation, with the theme, “Institutionalizing Behavioral Approaches to Reduce Corruption in Politics in Nigeria.”

Arise News reports that the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu; Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-corruption and Economic Crimes, Emmanuel Udende; and Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Anti-corruption, Hon. Kayode Moshood Akiolu neither came for the event nor sent representatives, despite the invitations to them.

While describing the theme as timely, Aliyu said it is a clarion call to action and a reminder that beyond the laws, enforcement and penalties lies the critical battleground of mindsets and culture.

He recalled that the anti-graft agency had in 2020, in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA), developed the National Ethics and Integrity Policy (NEIP) which, he said, has become a veritable tool for galvanizing national behavior modification aspirations.

Aliyu said, “While the ICPC and the government are working tirelessly to promote these core values that will positively impact the practice of anti-corruption social norms across the country, we implore you, political leaders, to join us in mainstreaming this policy in the political system.

“The ICPC is committed to the resolve to leverage technology to eliminate corruption from the public service and this is a wake-up call to you, our political leaders, to play your parts in sensitizing your members before they are elected, appointed, or employed into public office, about the dangers of engaging or promoting negative social norms that influence corrupt behavior in their respective Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), because our zero-tolerance for corruption is blind to political affiliations.”

He said political parties could contribute immensely to the anti-corruption crusade if they institutionalize corruption-inhibiting behaviours like meritocracy over nepotism, transparency over opacity, and public interest over personal gain.

“By instilling these values within our parties and encouraging our members to adhere to high ethical standards, we can set a precedent for ethical behavior in the political arena”, he stated.

The Director-General of NIPSS, Prof. Ayo Omotayo, expressed confidence that the behavior of politicians to elections will change ahead of the next general elections.

He said that behavioral approaches to tackling corruption in politics was the most effective compared to reactionary measures.

Omotayo said, “To be to be candid, when you talk of the behavioural change, you must think in terms of a process and when something is a process, it follows a course of time. And of course, we need to have structural changes before we can begin to see a difference in the behavioral approach of politicians to elections.

“What we have today just did not happen. It has happened over time. And will take some time for us to correct what we need to correct. 2023 was the centenary year of political parties in Nigeria because the first party was formed in 1923 and after 100 years, NIPSS thought that there is a need for us to look into the behavior of politicians and of course, our political behavior generally.

“With what we are trying to do, that is having a behavioral approach to effect changes, We believe that with time, the behaviour of our political class will change. Yes, people might think that there can never be changes but during the last election, we see that violence that seems to occur during elections diminished.”

The Woman Leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Amina Divine Arong said the programme came at the right time

“This has come at a very critical time. If we get it right as a political party, then you’re sure that every other thing will work out because any other person that has an appointment, either as a president or governors or the people at the grassroots. They all belong to political parties. So if we can get it right from the political party then we are going to get it right in all these sectors of the economy.”

The Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, represented by its Head, Legal and Prosecution, Francis Usani,
said the training came at a time law enforcement agencies were over burdened with the fight against corruption and financial crimes.

The EFCC chairman lamented that despite efforts made by government through the passage and enactment of relevant anti-corruption laws, regulations and policies, corruption still has not abated

“This not to say that criminals and corrupt individual are not arrested, investigated, prosecuted, convicted and sent to prison on daily basis, but despite all this achievements by law enforcement agencies corruption still pervades our societies”, he added.

According to him, behavioral change has become critical in complementing the traditional means of fighting corruption.

The Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and national chairman of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM),
Yusuf Dantalle, called on the Federal Government to adequately fund registered political parties in Nigeria to enable them participate actively in the election process.

He said it is only through that means that the Nigeria can reduce the influence of money in politics.

“When some of us come out and say political parties should be funded by the government, some people will say no that where in the world does government fund political parties. But political parties is a property of everybody under the supervision of Independent National Electoral Commission Now, parties are left to find ways of financing themselves. This is where the issue of godfatherism comes in”, he stated.

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