The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, has said that the fight against corruption in Africa cannot be won through law enforcement alone.
Aliyu said ending corruption on the continent requires a collective commitment to building strong institutions, nurturing ethical leadership and promoting a culture of integrity among citizens.
The ICPC Chairman stated this in Abuja during the celebration of the 2026 African Union Anti-Corruption Day, organised and hosted by the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit of the National Open University of Nigeria.
The event was held under the theme “Scaling Up The Promotion Of Integrity And Anti-Corruption Actions Across Africa.”
According to Aliyu, corruption remains one of the greatest obstacles to Africa’s socio-economic transformation, democratic governance, peace and sustainable development.
He said corruption weakens public institutions, diverts scarce resources meant for development, discourages investment, widens inequality and erodes citizens’ confidence in government.
“Corruption remains one of the greatest obstacles to Africa’s socio-economic transformation, democratic governance, peace, and sustainable development. It weakens public institutions, diverts scarce resources meant for development, discourages investment, widens inequality, and erodes citizens’ confidence in government,” he said.
Aliyu maintained that addressing the challenge requires more than arrests and prosecution.
“Addressing these challenges requires more than enforcement alone; it demands a continental commitment to building strong institutions, nurturing ethical leadership, and promoting a culture of integrity among citizens,” he added.
Earlier, the Head of ACTU at the National Open University of Nigeria, Mrs. Doris C-L Nzenwa, described corruption as the “mother of all evil,” saying all segments of society must be involved in efforts to eliminate it.
Nzenwa said corruption fuels insecurity, terrorism, kidnapping, armed robbery, rape, economic backwardness, hunger, skewed reward systems and avoidable deaths.
“The fight against corruption is not an exercise of entertainment. It is a fight against the mother of all evil known to mankind,” she said.
According to her, corruption begins with a lack of understanding of its impact on society and on the social and economic structures that sustain communities.
She said the anti-corruption campaign must therefore involve every element of society, not only in Africa but across the world.
“If the fight against corruption must have the desired impact, every element of society, not just in Africa, but across the globe, must be recruited into the fight,” Nzenwa stated.
The African Union Anti-Corruption Day is marked annually on July 14 to promote integrity, transparency and accountability across the continent.
The NOUN event featured a debate and other activities, with participants drawn from various study centres of the university and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
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