The Federal Government has called on State Commissioners of Information to collaborate with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in tackling corruption.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Alhaji Mohammed Idris, made the call when he declared open a one-day Roundtable Engagement on Strategic Integration in Fighting Corruption on Wednesday in Abuja.
The roundtable, with the theme “Partnership for Strengthening Transparency and Accountability at State and Local Government Levels Through Strategic Communications,” was organised by ICPC.
Those in attendance included Commissioners of Information from Kaduna, Nasarawa, Oyo, Borno, Kwara, Ogun, Cross River, Taraba, Rivers, Kogi, Zamfara, Adamawa, Kano, Bauchi, Yobe, Anambra and Gombe States.
Also present were the Directors-General of Voice of Nigeria, Malam Jibrin Ndace; Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Dr Mohammed Bulama; National Orientation Agency, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu; and some officials from the Presidency and National Assembly.
Idris said that the fight against corruption aligns with the eight-point priorities of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He commended ICPC for the theme, adding that the presence of state Commissioners of Information, who bear the responsibility of disseminating information to different layers of Nigerian society, was remarkable.
*”Fighting corruption is indeed one of the eight-point priority areas of President Tinubu’s administration and that is why the president is strengthening the institutional framework to fight corruption, especially through the ICPC and EFCC.
By its policy of non-interference, the Tinubu administration has made it clear that anti-corruption agencies are not instruments of political witch-hunt; they operate with independence and professionalism in line with the established rule of law.
However, the President has vowed that there will be no safe haven for corruption in Nigeria and he is also advancing far-reaching judicial reforms aimed at curbing unnecessary delays in corruption trials, ensuring that justice is neither denied nor endlessly deferred,”* Idris said.
He urged the Commissioners to leverage the assets of agencies under the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation to ensure effective outreach across Nigeria, while also partnering with ICPC to eliminate corruption and its perception.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Sen. Emmanuel Udende, described ICPC as custodian of public trust.
Udende, represented by Mr Uboh Emelike, urged the ICPC to share insights and see the machinery of information in the states not as peripheral, but as a core operational power.
*”See yourselves as generals in this war and with power of communication to win the hearts and minds of the people.
Let us leave this room with a common agenda; a blueprint that will ensure our message of transparency, accountability and integrity traverses the length and breadth of this country.
Together, by strategically integrating communication into the anti-corruption architecture, we can build the Nigeria that we deserve,”* Udende said.
The Chairman, House Committee on Anti-Corruption, Rep. Kayode Akiola, also urged ICPC, Information Commissioners and other stakeholders to create a corruption-free country where governance is transparent, accountable and representative of the people.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, the Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Prof. Usman Tar, commended ICPC and the Federal Government, pledging that the Commissioners would collaborate with relevant authorities to fight corruption.
(NAN)