Prevent Corruption Before It Starts, ICPC Boss Tells SSDC
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has urged the newly inaugurated South-South Development Commission (SSDC) to establish a strong anti-corruption framework anchored on integrity, transparency, and accountability from the outset.
Speaking during the Commission’s flagship induction programme in Abuja, Dr. Aliyu described the gathering as a unique opportunity for the SSDC’s Board and Management to build a resilient institution by putting preventive measures in place before weak internal controls or unethical practices emerge.
According to him, institutions become vulnerable to corruption through gradual compromises, unclear operational boundaries, and weak oversight mechanisms.
“Institutions do not become corrupt overnight. Corruption germinates from minor concessions, ambiguous boundaries, and frail internal controls. The institutions that endure are those that deliberately cultivate integrity as their foundational ethos,” he said.
Dr. Aliyu noted that, unlike older institutions that must implement reforms to correct entrenched challenges, the SSDC has the advantage of beginning with a clean slate, making it easier to institutionalise transparency and accountability from inception.
The ICPC Chairman highlighted the Commission’s statutory mandate of prevention, enforcement, and public education under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, stressing that prevention remains the most effective strategy in combating corruption.
“No nation can prosecute its way out of corruption. Enduring success resides in prevention,” he stated.
During the induction, participants received training on the legal and governance framework guiding the SSDC, principles of good governance, and the distinction between governance and management responsibilities to prevent institutional conflicts.
The programme also examined corruption risk areas common in development commissions, including procurement, project implementation, recruitment, financial management, community relations, and political interference.
To reinforce the lessons, Dr. Aliyu cited recent ICPC investigations, including the recovery of land earmarked for a 962-unit National Housing Fund housing project after about ₦14 billion was allegedly expended without completing a single building. He also referenced the recovery of nearly ₦942 million paid to 908 ghost workers uncovered through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
The ICPC Chairman introduced the Commission’s preventive tools, including the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU), Corruption Risk Assessment, Systems Study and Review, and ethics and integrity education programmes.
He further proposed a five-point partnership with the SSDC focused on integrity assessments, establishment of a functional ACTU, continuous capacity building, compliance monitoring, and public engagement.
Dr. Aliyu concluded that the true measure of the South-South Development Commission’s success would not be the amount of money spent or the number of projects executed, but the integrity, transparency, and public trust it earns in serving the people of the South-South region.
