ICPC urges African universities to cultivate integrity to curb corruption
By Chizoba Njaka
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has urged universities across Africa to raise a generation grounded in honesty, accountability and patriotism as a sustainable strategy to combat corruption and advance national development.
According to a press release signed on Thursday July 16, 2026, by the ICPC Spokesperson and Head of Media and Public Communications, Mr. Okor Odey, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, made the call during the commemoration of the 2026 African Union Anti-Corruption Day held at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Abuja.
Speaking through the ICPC’s Director of Public Education, Mr. Demola Bakare, he said the event’s theme, “Scaling Up the Promotion of Integrity and Anti‑Corruption Actions Across Africa,” was timely given corruption’s continued threat to economic transformation, democratic governance, peace and sustainable development across the continent.
“Corruption weakens public institutions, diverts scarce resources, discourages investment, widens inequality and erodes citizens’ confidence in government,” Dr. Aliyu warned. He said enforcement alone is insufficient and called for a continental commitment to strengthen institutions, nurture ethical leadership and promote a culture of integrity among citizens.
Highlighting the role of education, Dr. Aliyu urged universities to partner with governments, civil society, the private sector, faith‑based organisations, the media and citizens to embed integrity into curricula and campus life. He called for a shift from talk to concrete action to safeguard public resources and build societies that reject corruption.
Representing NOUN’s Vice‑Chancellor, Prof. Uduma Oji Uduma, Deputy Vice‑Chancellor (Technology Innovation and Research) Prof. Christine Ofulue stressed that Nigeria’s success in fighting corruption has broad implications for Africa, given the country’s demographic and economic weight. She affirmed NOUN’s commitment to producing graduates who are not only academically competent but also ethically responsible.
In her contribution, Chairperson of NOUN’s Anti‑Corruption and Transparency Monitoring Unit, Mrs. Doris C‑L. Nzenwa, described corruption as “the mother of all evils,” linking it to insecurity, economic decline and avoidable deaths. She urged mobilisation of all segments of society in the anti‑corruption struggle.