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ICPC Identifies Greatest Obstacle To Nigeria’s Anti-corruption Fight

Published

3 years ago

September 22, 2022

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has identified the “greatest obstacle” to the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, the ICPC Chairman, said “hypocrisy remained the greatest obstacle to the fight against graft” in the country.

Owasanoye spoke on Thursday in Abuja during a workshop organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-corruption, in collaboration with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) on the theme; “Corruption As Threat Security In Niger.”

He noted that Nigeria has enough laws and regulatory frameworks to address the issues of corruption, but that hypocrisy remains a major stumbling block.

“We’re not in short supply of anti-corruption legislations. There are many laws that many do not recognize as anti-corruption frameworks; that are not ICPC, EFCC, or Police or NAPTIP or NDLEA. The Bureau of Public Procurement is an anti-corruption gatekeeper; the CBN is an anti-corruption gatekeeper. The Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission, ICRC is an anti-corruption gatekeeper. I could go on, many of them like that, if you aggregate them, you would get like about 50.

“Most regulatory bodies also play an anti-corruption role. Virtually, all professions are regulated and every unethical practice that is carried out by these professionals is already prohibited by their rules, so we are not in short supply of anti-corruption institutions but what we are in short supply of is integrity. We have a generous supply of hypocrisy, and we also deceive ourselves.

“It is very important that we understand that unless we confront these issues, we are going to continue to struggle, dealing with corruption, adding that corruption erodes the capacity of the state to provide for the welfare of the people, and it reflects in different ways.

“Corruption is an existential issue for us as a country, and so, we need to have a conversation around it. There is a problem I have with the ethical understanding that we share as a community, and I say this because it appears that some of the things that are killing us, some people do not recognize them as such, especially people who really do not want to know”.

News

Tinubu Orders Defence Minister To Relocate To Kebbi State Over Abduction Of 25 School Girls

Published

5 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has asked the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State over the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in the state.

This was contained in a statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Thursday.

Matawalle, who was formerly governor of Zamfara State, was asked to remain in the state to monitor security efforts to secure the release of the abducted students.

Gunmen abducted 24 students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town, Kebbi State, around 4am on Monday.

Matawalle, who is expected to arrive in Birni-Kebbi on Friday, gained some experience in dealing with banditry and mass kidnapping during his tenure as governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023.

On 26 February 2021, armed bandits abducted 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 at the Government Girls Science Secondary School, a boarding school in Jangebe, in Zamfara State. The bandits released all the hostages on 2 March 2021.

President Tinubu had postponed his scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, as he awaited further security briefings on the kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.

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Nigeria Now Deadliest Place On Earth To Be Christian – Nigerian Bishop Laments

Published

6 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Benue State, Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe, says Nigeria has become the deadliest place on earth to be a Christian.

Bishop Anagbe made this statement on Thursday while testifying before the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, which is investigating Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’, CPC

Speaking before the US Congress, the Bishop said that the controversy escalated after President Trump designated Nigeria on the CPC list on 31 October 2025.

He alleged systematic persecution of Christians in the country, saying “Attacks by Fulani militants and Boko Haram have intensified, targeting Christian communities with impunity.

“More believers are killed there annually than in the rest of the world combined, yet perpetrators face little accountability.

“Violence is spreading, displacing millions and destroying farmland, creating a humanitarian crisis worsened by food insecurity. Without urgent intervention, Christianity risks being wiped out in Northern and Middle Belt Nigeria.

“Nigeria, already designated a Country of Particular Concern, must now be met with decisive action,” he said.

News

Christian Genocide: Back Nigeria CPC Redesignation With Action, Nigerian Bishop Begs Trump

Published

6 hours ago

November 20, 2025

Editor

The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, in Benue State, Wilfred Anagbe, has appealed to President Donald Trump of the United States to match its renewed designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, CPC, with concrete action.

Bishop Anagbe made this call on Thursday, while testifying before the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, which is investigating Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a CPC

He said, “On behalf of millions of Christians in Nigeria and in the diaspora, we want to thank President Donald Trump for his bold leadership in designating Nigeria as a CPC. I commend you and this subcommittee for ongoing efforts on this matter.

“It is a vital step, but must be backed by serious action. One, use the Magnitsky Act for targeted sanctions against Nigerian government officials and others tolerating or condoning Islamic violence in the country.”

The cleric also called on lawmakers to tie security and humanitarian aid to measurable improvements.

“Expand humanitarian support for IDPs. The IDPs must return to their ancestral homes, and this requires security guarantees from the Nigerian Government,” he said.

Bishop Anagbe told lawmakers that many Christian victims in Benue remain traumatised, adding that one priest he knows cannot walk after surviving a terrorist attack.

‘Deborah Samuel’s murderers remain free’ – US defends designation of Nigeria as CPC
He accused the federal government of downplaying casualty figures and abandoning survivors of repeated assaults.”

Anagbe also argued that President Donald Trump’s earlier CPC designation “aimed to stabilise Nigeria” but “worsened the safety of Christians.”