By Peace Udugba
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu (SAN), has urged the newly inaugurated South-South Development Commission (SSDC) to establish its operations on the principles of integrity, transparency and accountability from the outset.
Speaking during the SSDC’s induction programme in Abuja, Dr. Aliyu described the event as a unique opportunity for the Commission’s board and management to build strong institutional safeguards before governance challenges emerge.
According to him, corruption often begins with weak internal controls and unclear operational boundaries rather than sudden large-scale misconduct.
“Institutions do not become corrupt overnight. Corruption germinates from minor concessions, ambiguous boundaries and frail internal controls. The institutions that endure are those that deliberately cultivate integrity as their foundational ethos,” he said.
He noted that unlike older agencies forced to implement reforms after governance failures, the SSDC has the advantage of starting with a clean slate, making it easier to embed preventive measures into its structures from inception.
Dr. Aliyu explained that the ICPC’s statutory mandate under the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000 focuses on prevention, enforcement and public education, stressing that prevention remains the most effective strategy in the fight against corruption.
“No nation can prosecute its way out of corruption. Enduring success resides in prevention,” he stated.
During the induction, participants received training on the legal and governance framework guiding the SSDC, including accountability, transparency, integrity, stewardship and the distinction between governance and management responsibilities.
The ICPC Chairman also highlighted corruption risks commonly associated with development commissions, including procurement irregularities, project selection bias, financial mismanagement, human resource abuses, political interference and weak community engagement.
To illustrate the consequences of poor governance, he cited recent ICPC investigations, including the forfeiture of land earmarked for a 962-unit National Housing Fund estate after about ₦14 billion was reportedly spent without completing a single housing unit. He also referenced the ongoing recovery of nearly ₦942 million paid to 908 ghost workers uncovered through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).
Dr. Aliyu outlined several preventive tools available to public institutions, including the Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU), Corruption Risk Assessment, Systems Study and Review, as well as ethics and integrity education programmes.
He further proposed a five-point partnership between the ICPC and the SSDC focusing on integrity assessments, establishment of a functional ACTU, capacity building, compliance monitoring and public engagement.
He concluded that the true measure of the SSDC’s success would not be the volume of funds allocated or the number of projects executed, but the integrity with which public resources are managed, the transparency of its decisions and the confidence it earns from the people of the South-South region.
