ICPC Chairman Urges Universities to Lead Research in Anti-Corruption Campaign
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 strengthening the country’s anti-corruption campaign through research, policy innovation and integrity education.
Aliyu said defeating corruption requires more than investigation and prosecution, stressing that sustainable success depends on evidence-based policies, institutional reforms, behavioural change and active citizen participation.
He 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, themed, “The Fight against Corruption in Nigeria: The Social Science Perspective.”
According to the ICPC chairman, corruption should no longer be viewed solely as a criminal offence but as a complex social challenge shaped by human behaviour, institutional weaknesses, cultural norms, economic incentives and governance structures.
He said universities have a critical role in generating empirical research that can inform effective anti-corruption policies and reforms.
“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,” he said.
Aliyu referenced findings from a recent study by the Commonwealth Africa Anti-Corruption Centre (CAACC), which identified greed, lack of integrity and poverty as key drivers of corruption across Africa. He said the findings reinforced the need to address the behavioural and socio-economic causes of corruption alongside law enforcement efforts.
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He 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 mechanisms.
The ICPC chairman stressed that academic research should not remain on library shelves but should be translated into practical public policies, legislative reforms and institutional improvements capable of strengthening governance.
Aliyu also advocated preventive measures, describing corruption prevention as more sustainable and cost-effective than investigating offences after public funds have already been lost.
He recommended stronger corruption-proof systems through process automation, transparent procurement, digital service delivery, robust internal controls, whistle-blower protection, open budgeting, conflict-of-interest management, ethics compliance and regular corruption risk assessments.
The ICPC boss further called for stronger collaboration among government institutions, the legislature, judiciary, academia, civil society organisations, the media, the private sector, religious and traditional institutions, development partners and citizens to promote transparency, accountability and ethical leadership.
He also advocated lifelong integrity education, saying values of honesty and accountability should be nurtured from childhood through schools, families, workplaces and public institutions.
“The fight against corruption is ultimately a fight for national development, social justice, and the dignity of our people. Together, through research, innovation, ethical leadership and collective action, we can build a Nigeria where integrity becomes the norm rather than the exception,” he said.
Aliyu commended the Faculty of Social Sciences of Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, for organising the conference and expressed confidence that its deliberations would generate practical policy recommendations to advance Nigeria’s anti-corruption agenda.
By PRNigeria
