By JOHN NWOKOCHA, Editor
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) is a body to watch in 2025, for accountability, transparency, and good governance practices within government agencies or Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).
The ICPC is a shining example in impactful governance leadership looking back into its scorecard in 2024. It is apt to state that ICPC is the nation’s metaphor for transparency and accountability in governance, unless the assessment is short of objectivity, which happens sometimes during institutional evaluations. Some may disagree with the inference, that ICPC is an organisation of reference in the fight against corruption and illicit acts. But any subsisting doubts about the popular ranking ascribed to the Commission would be cleared by a methodical analysis of the 2024 performance records of the MDAs.
The achievements in corruption prevention measures and the fight against corrupt practices are numerous. These are motivations for greater accomplishments in 2025.
A glimpse into those feats proved that it was a harvest of landmark successes, from one exploit to the other all through the year.
These were possible only under a focused leadership. Interestingly, the chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu SAN, is prepared for the job and has demonstrated uncommon leadership in just a few months of assumption of office.
Appointed on October 17, 2023, the new Sheriff in town as it were, Aliyu has made significant success in the fight against corruption. It happened that as the chairman, he typically goes after matchless results.
The ICPC executive chairman without any equivocation is a serial achiever.
He came in the saddle breaking records, frustrating the schemes and intrigues of unpatriotic individuals and groups predisposed to corruption and related vices.
On top of this, Aliyu transcended quickly above the ordinary attainment of collecting petitions, to convictions and assets recovery feats.
As of October 2024, while reflecting on his one year in office as executive chairman, Aliyu SAN, remarked that the Commission received 1,187 petitions in 2023. From January to October 2024, the Commission received 851 petitions. In 2023, it secured 18 convictions, while in 2024, it secured 13 convictions. The asset/cash recovered was N76.75 billion in 2023, while in 2024, ICPC recovered N29.07 billion.
Additionally, the Commission over the past one year tracked 1,500 projects valued at N610 billion.
Suffice it to say that he has recorded extensive achievements that compel even critics to applaud. Such strides are not cheap, but categorically inimitable quality of a man who has come to serve. Again, it’s a prove that there’s room for improvement in the Commission’s track record. It is appropriate at this juncture to highlight some of his celebrated feats.
A brief highlight: ICPC Case: Fake Doctor who used Certificate of his ‘Best Friend’ to Secure Appointment in Ministry of Health Bags 4-year jail term
Illegal Degree Mill: ICPC Re-arraigns Prof Iornem, Two Others (The eleven-year-old case which began in 2013, commenced de novo due to the elevation of Hon. Justice A.R. Mohammed (JCA) to the Court of Appeal.)
ICPC Arraigns Former MD/CEO of Federal Mortgage Bank, Two Others over $65 million Money Laundering Charge
ICPC Chairman Bags Excellent Leadership Award in Anti-Graft Campaign
ICPC Resumes 10-year Forgery Case Against Fake Polytechnic Coordinator
ICPC Chairman, Army Commanding Officer Commend Armed Squad for Exceptional Performance
109 Personnel Commissioned as Pioneer Armed Squad of ICPC
At the International level, the Commission led the Nigerian team to the Globe Network meeting, where it secured a seat in the steering committee alongside Spain, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, and other nations.
Earlier in November, he was elected as the Chairman of the African Asset Recovery Practitioners’ Forum (AARP-F).
One of the Commission’s landmark progrmmes is, the Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative and Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS).
Phase 6 held in 2024 had over 330 MADAs fail in financial and governance tests, comprising transparency and accountability assessments. The test, in a nutshell, is an integrity check in good governance ranking that focuses on key sectors of the nation towards judicious utilization of government resources and is aimed at ultimately combating corruption.
Unfortunately, many MDAs failed to conduct any forms of system studies or render financial and audit reports. Among these are; the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Nigeria Press Council (NPC), Federal University of Agriculture Umudike, Federal College of Forestry Mechanisation, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Federal Polytechnic Ede, and the University of Ibadan scoring zero point, and elicited knocks and public outrage. The organisations earned a red flag from their melancholic ranking.
However, a few like the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) are commendable, with each scoring above 80 percent.
Nevertheless, it is imperative to inform that the initiative yielded some positive and value-driven impacts. These include but are not limited to, increased awareness and compliance with anti-corruption measures, enhanced competition among MDAs to meet criteria, and improved procurement processes and data reliability.
It is worthy of note that the Commission recognizes the MDAs with substantial compliance and will continue deploying these tools to promote integrity and accountability.
The findings of the ICPC’s integrity ranking serve as a wake-up call for institutions across Nigeria, emphasizing the critical need for enhanced accountability and ethical governance to combat corruption effectively. The Scorecard emphasizes a strategy for comparing and analyzing the weaknesses that make MDAs susceptible to corruption.
All these absorbing accomplishments of Aliyu SAN, are in sync with the mandate of ICPC. ICPC was established by the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences ACT 2000, signed into law on June 13, 2000. The Act covers infractions in public office, by public officials and their proxies.
The Act specifically stipulated a three-pronged mandate. These mandates are, Enforcement (Investigation and Prosecution); Prevention (Identifying and Reviewing Skewed Systems for Integrity and Efficiency); and Education- Enlightening and mobilizing the public against corruption.
But his achievements are half true if this analysis fails to underscore that the chairman prioritizes staff welfare. In fact, under Aliyu’s leadership, a good number of senior staff members were promoted to new levels. Among this category is a unit head, who was raised to substantive director from deputy director and acting to a full-grade position.
In conclusion, although there are foreseeable challenges in 2025, the commission is fortunate to have Aliyu SAN, at this crucial time of its history. Observers have projected the ICPC to surpass its achievements in successive years and similarly set a new record. However, only time will tell.
