ICPC: Civil servants are responsible for the majority of corruption cases

According to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), civil servants are to responsible for widespread corruption in the country’s public sector since they are more likely to commit crimes than politicians, who are commonly regarded to be the culprits.

Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), made the statement on Thursday in Owerri, Imo State, at a workshop for traditional and religious leaders and community-based civil society organizations.

He claimed that misappropriating resources and committing crimes like budget padding and project duplication are two ways corruption spreads throughout the federal sector.

The ICPC chairman urged local leaders to uphold honesty, openness, and accountability in their neighborhoods in order to combat corruption.

All hands must be on deck to fight corruption, said the chairman, who was represented by the South-East board member of the ICPC, Senator Anthony Agbo.

The foundation of every issue the nation is currently facing, from insecurity to subpar infrastructure development, according to him, is corruption.

His words: “Contrary to popular belief, active civil officials, not politicians, are responsible for the majority of corruption cases.

“For transparency and accountability, I urged community and religious leaders to monitor government projects and the funding appropriated for such programs.”

He further challenged them to use their power to support the national ethics and integrity policy and bring about the desired behavioral change.

Agbo continued by urging more people to come forward with information on people engaging in corrupt behavior in order to stop the matter before it worsens.

Peter Alumbugu, the Imo Resident Anti Corruption Commissioner (RAAC), urged community and religious leaders to use behavior modification techniques to purge their communities of corrupt practices in his presentation.

Alumbugu further commanded them to closely monitor dishonest business practices and problems with transparency and to immediately report any violations to the ICPC.

He also gave them the advice to carefully examine the operational procedures used in the selection and implementation of public projects and to encourage community members to take an active role in monitoring their progress.

He did, however, point out that the commission has taken aggressive measures to avoid and eliminate the misappropriation of public funds in the execution of projects that are supported by public funding.

According to the RAAC, this is accomplished through gathering and analyzing information about dubious initiatives that are then followed up on and thoroughly researched, resulting in enforcement and potential legal action against those involved.

According to him, this has had a substantial positive influence and impact on the work of various implementing agencies, as well as increased the number of projects that are completed according to plan.

A presentation titled “Advancing the key values of the National ethics and integrity policy for behavioral change: the role of traditional and religious leaders” was also presented during the workshop.

The speaker, Mrs. Chinwe Egbeocha, Assistant Director of the ICPC, advised participants to adopt the policy’s ideals, pass them on to others, and work with the ICPC and other similar organizations.

In a same vein, Mrs. Maureen Oparaji, State Director of the National Orientation Agency, promised the Agency’s help in promoting the vision and activities.