ICPC Calls for Enhanced Discipline in Schools to Combat Corruption
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)has emphasized the importance of instilling discipline and moral values in schools to combat societal corruption. ICPC had launched the Schools Anti-Corruption Clubs Initiative to instill discipline, integrity, and sound moral values in basic and post-basic educational institutions.
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The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC)has emphasized the importance of instilling discipline and moral values in schools to combat societal corruption.
This call was made by Dr Musa Aliyu, Chairman of the ICPC, during a one-day awareness session with stakeholders of schools’ anti-corruption clubs in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Mr Clifford Oparaodu, Secretary of the ICPC, represented Aliyu at the event themed “Enhancing Stakeholders’ Engagement in School Anti-corruption Initiatives.”
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Aliyu expressed his worry about the alarming rate at which corruption has infiltrated the nation’s fabric, stating it must not go unchecked. He said, “There is no doubt that the cankerworm of corruption has crept into every nook and cranny of our daily lives including our basic educational institutions where the foundation for becoming a loyal citizen is being laid.
"From the physical to the social infrastructure, we’ve witnessed evidences of corrupt practices within our classrooms and the overall educational system. From parents to teachers to students and other stakeholders, this menace has gradually crept into this very crucial segment that if left unchecked, the future certainly becomes bleak.’’
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He further explained that the ICPC had launched the Schools Anti-Corruption Clubs Initiative to instill discipline, integrity, and sound moral values in basic and post-basic educational institutions. He said, “As critical stakeholders and custodians of this very noble initiative, the Schools Anti-Corruption Clubs, it becomes imperative to scrutinise our strategies and appraise our performance in a bid to raise the bar and tackle this menace to a standstill.”
While praising the stakeholders’ efforts in promoting the initiative, he acknowledged the need for improvement. He encouraged them to allocate more time to Anti-Corruption Clubs in their schools, where Club Advisers and ICPC officers could educate students about the harms of corruption and how to curb it in their school environment and beyond.
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He urged stakeholders to collaborate in maintaining a behavioural change drive among the youth. He said, “All anti-corruption and integrity issues in our domain should be handled under the umbrella of a single Schools Anti-Corruption Club to avoid duplication and/or multiplicity of function.”
Dr Hamid Bobboyi, the Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education, emphasized the need for all stakeholders to dedicate more time to educating students about the harms of corruption and how to curb it in the school environment and beyond. He said, “There is a need to rejuvenate the teaching of moral value in society; when we were all growing up, we were part of the community, and the community was responsible for ensuring that community members behave responsibly.”
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Mohammed Ladan, Secretary of the Secondary Education Board FCT, also noted that corruption had deeply infiltrated the nation, posing a significant obstacle to the country’s growth and development.
He said, “It is worthy of note that corruption impedes the role of the education sector in supporting personal development; therefore, as it is said in our local parlance–let us kill corruption or corruption will kill us. The time has come for all of us, especially the heads of schools and the club patrons and patronesses, to join hands together to stop it. We must employ all necessary machinery and eschew all forms of corrupt tendencies as we take responsibility and strive to serve as role models of anti-corruption and integrity in all facets of our lives as we live above board.”
Other stakeholders at the event, including representatives of Step up Nigeria Oluwaferanmi Iyanda, called on parents to collaborate with teachers in instilling discipline in students.
