ICPC: Day The Anti-Corruption Czar Came To Town

By Bolanle BOLAWOLE
[email protected] 0705 263 1058

“Corruption thrives where there is silence”- Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN.

Compare the above quote from Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, the youthful Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), with the one often attributed to the 18th-century Irish philosopher, Edmund Burke, which says, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”.

Disputes have arisen as to whether Burke, and not the British philosopher, John Stuart Mill (1876), made this quote. Mill was quoted as saying “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends than that good men should look on and do nothing”. What had earlier been attributed without any controversy to Burke in his book “Thoughts on the cause of the present discontents” (1770) is no less poignant; he said: “When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fail, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle”.

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Anyone who keeps silent in the face of evil is complicit in that evil. In the words of our own Professor Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate, in any one that keeps silent in the face of tyranny, the man dies! “In other words’, says another author, “people must be vigilant and actively resist evil”. Easier said than done, if we reckon with another author who posits that “to learn what is good, a thousand days are not sufficient; to learn what is evil, an hour is too long”! So, continues the author, “never open the door to a lesser evil, for other and greater ones invariably slink in after it”

The occasion was on Thursday, 27 February, 2025 at the Marriott Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos and the event was another leg of the recently-appointed ICPC chairman’s Editors’ Breakfast Meeting to introduce himself, his plans to combat corruption, as well as rub minds with top media top editors. There was hardly anything that was said at the event that had not been said or heard before. But in the collective wisdom of Burke, Mill, and Soyinka mentioned above, no harm was done running over them all over again.

Corruption thrives where it is low risk. When the chances are high that the culprit will walk away free, corruption runs riot, Corruption thrives where everyone thinks the task is ICPC’s (and EFCC’s) alone. Where everyone else minds their own business, as they say, turning a blind spot, corruption thrives. Corruption thrives where there is darkness; when everything is opaque, and naming and shaming the corrupt is alien culture.

We also heard at the meeting that corruption fights back; especially in climes such as ours where the cankerworm has eaten so deep into the fabrics of the society as to become a national malaise. Where corruption becomes the natural order of things, those fighting or speaking against it are the ones swimming against the tide.

Corruption exists where there is grinding poverty. This, perhaps, explains the exponential stride the monster has made in the country in the last few decades. Nigeria is said to be the poverty capital of the world; over 70 percent of its population is said to be desperately or multi-dimensionally poor. When people go to bed on an empty stomach, they will do anything to fill the void. Where the middle class has been decimated to the point that people are now either rich or poor, sermons not followed by Jesus Christ’s command of “give them something to eat” ( Matthew 14: 13-21) will ring hollow and fall on deaf ears.

But what is corruption? One definition says it is “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain”. The same definition goes ahead to say that corruption “erodes trust, weakens democracy (and) hampers economic development”. Corruption is also defined as “a form of dishonesty”, a “criminal offence”, “abuse of office or power” for the purpose of “acquisition of illicit or illegal benefits”.

The reward of corruption can be in cash or kind. Bestowing undue favours, denying someone his or her dues or rights, and perverting the course of justice are all forms of corruption. Ever heard political scientists talk of corruption functionality? The theory states that whatever exists does so to perform a function; otherwise, it will not exist. It is a simple case of what the economists call demand and supply. Corruption functionality means “the ways in which corruption provides solutions to the everyday problems people face, particularly in resource-scarce environments, problems that often have deep social, structural, economic, and political roots.”

In other words, there are forms of corruption that, I dare to say, are inevitable or that are brought upon the people despite themselves. Where starvation wages are paid to workers, they will find other means to make ends meet. Where necessary amenities and social services are decrepit or totally lacking and people are consigned to being their own “local governments”, providing their own water, electricity, constructing their own roads, paying through the nose to buy petrol and diesel, recharge their PHCN meter, buy data, pay school fees, pay rents, buy drugs, etc., it stands to reason that people will cut corners to keep their head above the waters.

Where penalties for everyday traffic offences are steep, even those of other faiths will quickly heed the admonition of Matthew 5: 25: “Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison”!

To say, then, that the task before the anti-corruption agencies is daunting is to say the obvious. How many Nigerians are not corrupt in their own little corners? How many within the anti-corruption agencies themselves are above board like Caesar’s wife? And are the locales of humongous corruption, which are the habitats of the elites and ruling class, not more often than not a no-go-area for the anti-corruption crusade?

Again, taking a cue from Burke, Mill, and Soyinka, we abandon the battle field to the corrupt at our own collective peril. And that, in my view, was the import of the ICPC chairman’s homily to the senior editors he came to Lagos to rub minds with.

Dr. Aliyu was measured in his prepared speech, after which he painstakingly answered questions as well as engaged in tete-a-tete with the editors. He started by saying that the ICPC cherishes and greatly values its partnership with the media. “Your dedication to exposing corruption and enhancing our efforts has been crucial in fostering a more transparent society”, he said. Therefore, the decision to meet with the editors was part of the determination to strengthen the partnership as well as reaffirm ICPC’s “shared mission to combat corruption and uphold integrity in Nigeria.”

Dr. Aliyu then described the media as “a frontline partner” in the fight against corruption, and this description brought floods of nostalgic memories of the fight against apartheid in southern Africa when Nigeria, because of its unyielding and unwavering commitment to the struggle for the eradicate of apartheid colonialism from the face of Africa, was described as a “frontline state” despite that it was thousands of miles away from the battle front.

Commentators have often noted the difference in the modus operandi of the two anti-corruption agencies – ICPC and EFCC. Aliyu appeared to offer an explanation when he said the ICPC, over the years, “has adopted a strategic communication approach in line with Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Section 27(4) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 (which) ensure the protection of suspects’ rights. While remaining strict, diligent, and stern in our actions, ICPC will remain resolute in propagating the rule of law and protecting human dignity. Additionally, the ICPC prioritises the protection of whistleblowers and the integrity of investigations.”

There was a period during the Muhammadu Buhari administration when whistle-blowing became a fad. Trust Nigerians, everybody, as it were, became a whistleblower overnight and, then, suddenly, the interest in whistle-blowing died down. Some reports said the laws were not strong enough to protect whistleblowers. Others said the government failed to honour its pledge to reward whistle blowers to the tune promised. Yet, others said victimisation, blackmailing and sheer criminality took over the laudable scheme that was meant to aid the anti-corruption war.

Addressing this issue, the ICPC boss described whistle-blowing as indispensable in the anti-corruption war. He then called on the National Assembly to pass the required laws that will streamline the operation of whistle blowers as well as offer them the requisite protection and incentives.

Saying that transparency is a cornerstone of ICPC’s work, Dr. Aliyu vowed that they would continue to provide verified information through official channels, including press releases, newsletters, and digital platforms. In 2024 alone, the Commission physically reached 1,458,025 individuals through 579 sensitisation exercises conducted under its community engagement programmes. In addition, 188 press releases were issued, resulting in 1,860 news reports published in the media. The Commission experienced increased followership and impressions on its social media handles (Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube). 181,958 visits were recorded on its website while 158 television productions were aired in 2024. Episodes of its podcast, Ethics Pod, were successfully released on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and across all our social media platforms.

Laudable as this progress report may seem, the ICPC chairman’s disclosure that only seven out of the country’s 774 local governments have functional websites trumps it all! In this digital age of raging Artificial Intelligence (AI) how do local governments operate without functional websites?What do the local governments do with the humongous federal allocations they collect every month? Since the coming of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration and the removal of fuel subsidy, states and local governments collect more allocations than they used to each month: Where are the allocations going?

Other sensitive issues discussed at the meeting include constituency projects, which have become cesspools of corruption. Dr. Aliyu said the ICPC is trying its best and has records of achievements in this regard. But how many of such projects can they possibly track? The delay tactics and other antics of defence lawyers also frustrate the ICPC and judges themselves. Lucky Dr. Aliyu! Had the Natasha-Akpabio sexual assault allegation broke before the meeting, the ICPC boss would have been put to task on how ICPC’s Sexual Harassment Prevention Programme would possibly handle the issue!

The Supreme Court recently outlawed caretaker local government chairmen and councillors. It also gave the stamp of authority to the direct funding of local governments from the Federation Account, cutting off the State Government’s intermediary position to the bargain. Dr. Aliyu said the ICPC would study how to make the local government autonomy law work. He warned that no local government caretaker committee chairman has the powers to spend money or award contracts. “The ICPC has the powers to enforce the Supreme Court judgments”, he said.

Elected as the interim chairman of the African Assets Recovery Practitioners Forum in Arusha, Tanzania in November 2024, the ICPC chairman charged the editors: “Dear friends, corruption thrives in silence, but your voices can shatter that silence. Your role in shaping public perception and holding institutions accountable cannot be overstated. The more Nigerians see, read, and hear about the fight against corruption, the stronger our collective resolve becomes. Our mission to diminish corrupt practices through our public mobilisation, our doggedness, and our law-abiding operational strategies remains strong and unwavering.”

Well said! I left the meeting charging myself that there is no harm in trying!

* Former Editor of PUNCH newspapers, Chairman of its Editorial Board and Deputy Editor-in-Chief, BOLAWOLE was also the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Westerner newsmagazine. He writes the ON THE LORD’S DAY column in the Sunday Tribune and TREASURES column in the New Telegraph newspaper on Wednesdays. He is also a public affairs analyst on radio and television.