By Julius Peter
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has called for stronger anti-corruption policies and strategies through the adoption of global best practices and lessons from countries that have recorded significant progress in the fight against corruption.
The Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, made the call in Abuja at the third edition of the International Diplomatic Dialogue, organised by the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), the research and training arm of the ICPC.
The dialogue, which was themed “Experience Sharing in Anti-Corruption Policies and Strategies: The Chinese Perspective,” brought together stakeholders to examine China’s experience in tackling corruption and identify lessons that could be adapted to Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework.
Aliyu said the Commission remained committed to strengthening Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts by learning from comparative international experiences, understanding proven best practices and exploring innovative approaches that could be adapted to the country’s peculiar circumstances.
The ICPC chairman said, “As Nigeria continues to deepen its anti-corruption efforts, there is much value in learning from comparative experiences, understanding best practices, and identifying innovative approaches that can be adapted to our local realities.”
He described corruption as a major threat to political stability, socio-economic development and national progress, particularly in societies where corrupt practices were allowed to flourish without effective institutional checks.
According to him, the fight against corruption requires sustained commitment, effective institutions and continuous review of policies and enforcement mechanisms to respond to emerging challenges.
Aliyu said China offered an important case study for Nigeria, noting that the country had made significant progress in its anti-corruption campaign through the activities of key institutions, particularly the National Supervisory Commission (NSC) and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).
He said the ICPC was interested in understanding the strategies and policies adopted by China, including its institutional and legal reforms, enforcement mechanisms and other measures deployed to prevent and combat corruption.
The chairman explained that international engagements such as the diplomatic dialogue were important because they provided opportunities for countries to exchange knowledge, examine different approaches and identify measures that could improve their respective anti-corruption systems.
He recalled that the Commission had hosted the Kenyan High Commissioner to Nigeria and the Ambassador of Indonesia to Nigeria during the first and second editions of the International Diplomatic Dialogue respectively.
According to him, the previous engagements had provided useful platforms for exchanging knowledge and experiences on how different countries were addressing corruption and strengthening accountability.
He stressed that Nigeria would continue to engage with international partners and draw from global experiences as part of efforts to develop more effective and sustainable strategies against corruption.
Speaking on China’s experience, the Provost of ACAN, Prof. Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, said the country’s transformation from one of the world’s poorest nations into a major economic and technological power was driven partly by strong political will and sustained efforts to combat corruption.
Ibrahim said China’s anti-corruption framework had been strengthened through unified investigations, a policy of zero tolerance for corruption and the deployment of technology to promote transparency, improve monitoring and detect corrupt practices.
He argued that China’s experience provided useful lessons for Nigeria, particularly in the areas of institutional coordination, enforcement, prevention and the use of technology in fighting corruption.
The ACAN provost also drew attention to the relevance of traditional ethical values in promoting integrity and responsible conduct.
He specifically highlighted Confucian values such as righteousness, propriety, wisdom, sincerity and integrity, saying such principles could contribute to the development of an ethical culture within institutions and society.
Ibrahim called for increased comparative learning between Nigeria and China, stressing that a deeper understanding of the two countries’ anti-corruption systems could help strengthen accountability and contribute to sustainable national development.
In his keynote address, the Cultural Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria and Director of the China Cultural Centre in Nigeria, Counsellor Yang Juanxing, said China’s anti-corruption strategy went beyond the investigation and punishment of individual offenders.
He explained that the Chinese approach combined enforcement with prevention, institutional reforms, oversight and public education in an effort to build a comprehensive anti-corruption system.
According to Yang, the objective was to establish a system in which people were “unwilling to corrupt, unable to corrupt and afraid to corrupt.”
He stressed that effective anti-corruption efforts must be built on strong institutions, clear rules, effective supervision and consistent enforcement rather than relying solely on the prosecution of offenders after corruption had occurred.
The Chinese diplomat also emphasised the importance of accountability, insisting that no individual should regard himself as being above the law because of his position, political influence, wealth or personal connections.
He maintained that accountability must apply to everyone, irrespective of status.
Yang identified values, institutions and the rule of law as critical pillars of a sustainable anti-corruption framework.
He said the cultivation of integrity and ethical values must go hand in hand with transparent administrative procedures, effective oversight mechanisms and the consistent application of the law.
The Chinese experience, he suggested, demonstrated the importance of combining preventive and punitive measures to create an environment where corruption was discouraged at both individual and institutional levels.
The discussions at the dialogue underscored the need for Nigeria to move beyond a predominantly punitive approach to corruption by giving greater attention to prevention, institutional reforms, public education and the deployment of technology.
The participants also emphasised that sustainable progress in the fight against corruption depends on strong institutions capable of operating effectively, transparently and independently, as well as a culture that promotes integrity and discourages the abuse of public office.
The International Diplomatic Dialogue is part of ACAN’s broader mandate of promoting research, training, knowledge exchange and capacity development in the anti-corruption sector.
Through the initiative, the ICPC seeks to expose Nigerian anti-corruption stakeholders to experiences from other jurisdictions while creating opportunities for international partners to understand Nigeria’s own strategies and institutional responses to corruption.
The third edition, therefore, provided another avenue for Nigeria and China to exchange perspectives on anti-corruption policies and strategies, with particular emphasis on institutional strengthening, enforcement, prevention, technology, accountability and ethical values.
The ICPC leadership said such engagements would remain important as Nigeria continues to refine its anti-corruption policies and seek innovative and practical solutions to the challenges posed by corruption.
The Commission’s renewed emphasis on comparative learning also reflects the growing recognition that the fight against corruption requires more than investigations and prosecutions, but sustained institutional reforms, effective oversight, public participation and the promotion of integrity across all levels of society.
