The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) lamented on Wednesday that corruption has brought Nigeria to its knees, urging citizens to be brave in exposing corrupt practices.

Speaking in Yenagoa during the celebration of Anti-Corruption Day, organized by the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Mrs. Ekere Usiere, the Resident ICPC Anti-Corruption Commissioner for Rivers State, warned that the nation risked devastation if its people failed to act.

Presenting a paper titled ?From Fear to Courage: ?Overcoming Barriers to Whistleblowing in Nigeria? Usiere stated that ?there is no doubt that corruption has brought Nigeria to its knees, from economic underdevelopment to socio-political decay.?

She emphasized that if corruption was not eradicated, it would ultimately destroy the nation, adding that ?we need an effective whistleblower mechanism as a critical tool to fight against corruption. To blow the whistle, citizens need courage. The absence of fear is courage.?

She urged Nigerians to overcome cultural, psychological, and systemic barriers to expose corruption, stressing that, ?this programme is timely and necessary. We need to put on the armor of courage to fight corruption. If you see something, you must say something.?

Earlier, Engr. Felix Ogbe, the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, praised the NCDMB ACTU for organizing the event and reiterated his commitment to protecting the institution from corruption through preventive strategies.

Ogbe said, ?Today, we celebrate International Anti-Corruption Day, focusing on raising awareness among youths about the detrimental effects of corruption on socio-economic development. At NCDMB, we have taken deliberate steps to curb corruption, providing support to ACTU members and engaging in capacity-building initiatives.?

He also highlighted the board?s efforts to assess corruption risks within major functions of the institution, including human resources, procurement, and planning, in a bid to mitigate vulnerabilities to corruption.

The event concluded with a debate competition among secondary schools from the six geo-political zones of the country, with Federal Government College, Warri, Delta State, emerging as the winner, followed by Federal Government College, Kazaure, Jigawa State in second place. (Vanguard)

Update news