ICPC boss tasks universities on anti-corruption research, says prosecution alone can't end graft

By Johnson Arua

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has urged Nigerian universities to take a leading role in the fight against corruption through research, policy innovation and integrity education, insisting that prosecution alone cannot eradicate the menace.

Aliyu made the call on Tuesday while delivering the keynote address at the 11th Annual Conference of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.

The conference was themed, "The Fight against Corruption in Nigeria: The Social Science Perspective."

According to a statement issued by the ICPC spokesperson and Head of Media and Public Communications, Okor Odey, the ICPC Chairman described corruption as a complex social problem driven by human behaviour, weak institutions, cultural norms, economic incentives and governance failures rather than merely a criminal offence.

He said while investigations and prosecutions remain important, lasting success in the anti-corruption campaign would require evidence-based policies, behavioural change, institutional reforms and active citizen participation.

"Answers to why people engage in corruption, how institutions encourage or discourage corrupt practices, and what reforms are most effective cannot emerge solely from criminal investigations.

They require rigorous empirical research, interdisciplinary scholarship, and policy experimentation," Aliyu said.

The ICPC boss cited findings from a recent study by the Commonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre (CAACC), which identified greed, lack of integrity and poverty as major drivers of corruption across Africa.

He said the findings highlighted the need to tackle the behavioural and socio-economic factors that fuel corruption.
Aliyu called on universities to intensify research in areas including corruption risk assessment, public sector accountability, behavioural economics, digital governance, procurement transparency, beneficial ownership transparency, ethics education, artificial intelligence, citizen participation and social accountability.

He stressed that research findings should be translated into practical policies and institutional reforms capable of strengthening governance.

He also advocated preventive measures such as process automation, transparent procurement systems, digital service delivery, stronger internal controls, whistle-blower protection, open budgeting, conflict-of-interest management, ethics compliance and regular corruption risk assessments, noting that preventing corruption is more sustainable and less costly than prosecuting offenders after public funds have been lost.

The ICPC Chairman further called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, the legislature, judiciary, academia, civil society organisations, the media, the private sector, religious and traditional leaders, development partners and citizens.

He also urged that integrity education be promoted from childhood through schools, families, workplaces and public institutions, describing the anti-corruption fight as essential to national development, social justice and the dignity of Nigerians.

He commended the Faculty of Social Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, for organising the conference and expressed confidence that its deliberations would produce practical recommendations to strengthen Nigeria's anti-corruption efforts.