By Isaac Aregbesola
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has charged Nigerian students to embrace anti-corruption values as the foundation for national development.
Demola Bakare, Director of Public Education at ICPC, gave the charge during a visit by students of Economics Department, Nasarawa State University to the Commission’s premises in Abuja.
Bakare urged the students and the country as a whole to deploy the ”Three Rs” mantra of reject, resist, and report corrupt practices to defeat the menace in the nation.
While welcoming the students, he said the excursion was an opportunity for them to understand the mandate and operations of the commission.
Bakare noted that exposing the youth to the realities of corruption early would help shape their conduct before they assume leadership positions in future.
The ICPC official said the commission introduced what he called the “Three Rs” mantra for fighting corruption, stressing that Nigerians must reject, resist, and report corrupt practices.
According to him, rejection is personal and means refusing to be part of corruption in any form.
He added that resistance involved speaking out against corrupt acts by family, friends, or colleagues.
Bakare said reporting becomes necessary when advice fails and the act threatens the citizenry, adding that reports can be made anonymously.
He stressed that enforcement alone could not win the anti-corruption war. Values inculcated from youth, he said, influence behavior even in public office.
Bakare said ICPC has since 2009 infused an anti-corruption curriculum into primary, secondary, and teachers’ education subjects across the country.
He disclosed plans to introduce anti-corruption modules in university General Studies courses, subject to budget approval, to reach all Nigerian undergraduates.
The director said the Commission’s Public Education Department has two divisions: Stakeholders Mobilisation and Value Orientation, which drive the reorientation project.
He explained that beyond formal schools, ICPC reaches out through the National Anti-Corruption Coalition of civil society and youth-focused NGOs.
Bakare said the commission also partners with the National Directorate of Employment, NURTW, and the National Council of Women’s Societies to broaden its reach.
He added that National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) members are engaged through its Community Development Service groups on anti-corruption to take the message to communities and markets.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, a lecturer from Economic Department, Elama Abayelis, thanked ICPC for the opportunity to have firsthand information about its work.
Abayelis said corruption remains a major setback to economic development, no matter how much is taught in classrooms or attempted by government.
He stated that direct engagement with institutions like ICPC would help students become advocates for truth, countering misinformation on social media.
The lecturer concluded that the visit had enriched the students’ knowledge of ICPC’s structure, responsibilities, and role in Nigeria’s development. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Mark Longyen