By Peace Udugba -The Daily Torch Media
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has called for greater emphasis on preventive measures, institutional safeguards and innovative strategies to tackle corruption before it develops into criminal conduct.
The ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, made the call on Tuesday at the Fourth International Diplomatic Dialogue organised by the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), the research and training arm of the Commission, at its headquarters in Abuja.
The dialogue, themed “Development of Anti-Corruption Strategies and Policies: The Russian National Experience,” featured the Minister Counsellor/Charge d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Nigeria, Mr Igor Ivannikov, who presented Russia’s experience in developing and implementing preventive, legal and enforcement measures against corruption.
Aliyu said corruption remained a major threat to development, stressing the need for anti-corruption institutions to continually explore practical approaches that strengthen institutions, promote transparency and accountability, and build public trust.
“As Nigeria continues to deepen its anti-corruption efforts, there is much value in learning from comparative experiences, understanding best practices, and identifying innovative approaches that can be adapted to our local realities,” he said.
The ICPC chairman urged participants to translate lessons from the dialogue into practical actions capable of strengthening institutions and improving anti-corruption outcomes.
Presenting the Russian experience, Ivannikov said an effective anti-corruption system must combine the punishment of offences already committed with preventive measures that address the conditions that enable corruption.
He identified income and asset declarations by designated public officials, expenditure monitoring and conflict-of-interest prevention as some of the preventive measures used in Russia.
According to him, financial declarations enable authorities to compare the legitimate income of public officials with their actual financial and property holdings.
Ivannikov also highlighted anti-corruption reviews of legislation as a preventive mechanism, explaining that the process helps identify provisions that could create corruption risks through excessive official powers, unjustified discretion or unclear administrative procedures.
On public procurement, he said Russia had increasingly deployed digital platforms and risk-based monitoring to improve transparency in procurement and contract administration.
He, however, stressed that digitalisation alone could not eliminate corruption without effective oversight, access to information and accountability for violations.
The Russian diplomat also identified codes of ethics, conflict-of-interest procedures, designated anti-corruption compliance officers and regular corruption-risk assessments as important components of a preventive framework.
He further outlined the enforcement side of Russia’s anti-corruption system, including investigation of corruption-related crimes, tracing and freezing of illicit assets, prosecution and judicial determination of cases.
Earlier, the Provost of ACAN, Professor Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, explained the evolution of Russia’s anti-corruption legal and institutional framework.
Ibrahim identified the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Code of Administrative Offences, Federal Law on Civil Service and Federal Law on Combating Corruption among the major laws supporting the country’s anti-corruption framework.
He also highlighted institutions involved in Russia’s anti-corruption system, including the Presidential Council for Countering Corruption, Presidential Civil Service, Personnel and Anti-Corruption Directorate, Prosecutor General’s Office, Investigative Committee, Ministry of Justice, Federal Security Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Accounts Chamber.
The ACAN provost particularly noted the role of the Prosecutor General’s Office, stating that specialised units for supervising the implementation of anti-corruption legislation were established within the office and prosecutors’ offices at constituent-entity level in 2007.
Ibrahim also highlighted Russia’s contribution to the establishment and continued support of the International Anti-Corruption Academy, stressing the importance of specialised training and institutional capacity development in sustaining anti-corruption efforts.
