Corruption must be prevented through education, not prosecution alone, ICPC boss

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) asserts that preventing corruption through education is more effective than prosecuting offenders after crimes have been committed. ICPC Chairman Dr Musa Adamu-Aliyu emphasized this point at a two-day workshop in Kano focused on integrating anti-corruption education into Nigerian universities and the Nigerian Law School. The workshop, themed “Institutionalizing Anti-Corruption in Nigerian Legal Training,” was a collaboration between the ICPC and the Nigerian Law School. Adamu-Aliyu stated that corruption is often addressed too late, arguing that the fight should begin with instilling character and ethical values in future legal practitioners. He noted that many individuals prosecuted for corruption are educated professionals, making it crucial to strengthen integrity and ethical consciousness among law students before they enter practice. The ICPC chairman believes the legal profession plays a vital role in restoring public confidence by producing competent, ethical lawyers. He urged for legal education curricula to produce graduates with both intellectual capacity and moral conscience, encouraging lecturers to embed anti-corruption values in their teaching and institutional practices. Successful curriculum reform, he acknowledged, requires adequate funding, institutional support, and sustained stakeholder commitment. Adamu-Aliyu pledged the commission's ongoing support for the initiative, expressing optimism that it will foster a new generation of lawyers dedicated to integrity, accountability, and the rule of law. Professor Garba Sa’ad of Bayero University, Kano, presented a paper recommending that anti-corruption education be introduced as a standalone course or integrated into existing law subjects. Dr Nte Bisong of the National Universities Commission highlighted the importance of incorporating anti-corruption content into the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standards for law programs.

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Corruption is rarely defeated in the courtroom after the damage has been done. It is prevented much earlier through the formation of character and values in young professionals.