The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has urged the National Assembly to immediately pass the WhistleBlower Act Bill into law to
He made the call at the ICPC Roundtable Engagement with State Attorneys General in the North West On Strengthening ICPC’s Capacity for Corruption Prevention Held on Monday in Kano.
He said the call was necessary so as to encourage all those wishing to expose corrupt practices and perpetrators of the illegal act to do so.
“Let me use this occasion to call on the National Assembly to pass the Whistleblower Bill into law as those wishing to expose corrupt practices will have the strength to do it,” he said.
He further called on Nigerians to reject and resist bribery demands from public officers and if possible report such cases to the appropriate authorities for action.
“No single individual or government can fight corruption because we need to come together to fight the monsters.
“ICPC as an agency charged with the responsibility of fighting corruption will continue to collaborate with the relevant stakeholders to fight the monsters but within the ambi of the law,” ICPC boss said.
He, therefore, called on the Attorneys-General of the North-West to collaborate closely with ICPC to fortify systems of accountability and transparency that serve the people.
“Under Section 6 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission Act, ICPC is empowered to investigate and prosecute corruption across all sectors of public service, but your support and the local knowledge you bring are essential to making this effort more effective,” he said.
He said the meeting which brought together key stakeholders at the subnational level to discuss the need for a united front in the fight against corruption, stressing that confronting corruption is critical to the prosperity of our nation-no country can thrive where corruption thrives.
Bribery is most common in public utilities, law enforcement, and administrative services. However, despite these challenges, the positive news is that 70% of Nigerians approached for a bribe in 2023 refused to comply on at least one occasion.
In the Northwest, 76% of individuals who encountered bribery requests resisted the highest refusal rate among Nigeria’s geopolitical zones, indicating growing resistance to bribery in the region.
“As stakeholders, we must continue to encourage the people of the North-West and Nigeria at large to resist bribery demands.
In his remarks, Justice Muhammad Lawal Shu’aibu, the Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division, urged Anti-graft agencies to intensify effort in the fight against corruption in all its ramifications.
