ICPC Urges Youth to Lead Fight against Corruption

ICPC Urges Youth to Lead Fight against Corruption

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Aliyu, has charged Nigerian youths to take the front seat in the fight against corruption, describing them as the nation’s most powerful force for integrity and sustainable progress.

Dr. Aliyu made the call in Abuja on Tuesday at the 2025 International Anti-Corruption Day commemoration held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, with the theme, “Uniting with Youth Against Corruption: Shaping Tomorrow’s Integrity.”

He said young people hold the key to building a corruption-free Nigeria, noting that their energy, creativity and courage form the backbone of a future anchored on transparency and accountability.

Equipping them with the right tools and values, he added, would empower a generation capable of confronting corruption “at its roots.”

“Corruption threatens our national dreams; integrity strengthens them,” the ICPC Chairman said, urging youths to be bold, united and unwavering in defending ethical conduct.

Dr. Aliyu highlighted several of the Commission’s youth-focused initiatives, including anti-corruption lectures in NYSC orientation camps, NYSC–ICPC community development projects and anti-corruption clubs in schools.

He also disclosed strengthened grassroots efforts through the Joint National Local Government Accountability Framework Workshops and the Accountability and Corruption Prevention Programme for Local Governments (ACPP-LG).

In his keynote address, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, said the event served as a vital platform for raising national awareness on the dangers of corruption. He emphasised that empowering young Nigerians remains a priority of the current administration, describing them as “powerful agents of change and custodians of our democratic future.”

Earlier, the Head of the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR), Mrs. Jane O. Onwumere, said this year’s youth-focused commemoration recognises young people not only as beneficiaries of good governance but as co-creators of it. She linked corruption to the rising “japa” trend and stressed that investing in youth capacity is the most sustainable path in the anti-corruption drive.

The event also featured two panel discussions and an inter-school debate won by Model Girls Secondary School, Maitama, underscoring the active role of young people in shaping a culture of integrity.