ICPC partners students, to host anti-corruption conference

THE Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has stated its resolve to partner Nigerian students in the war against corruption

To kick-start thee initiative, the commission has planned to host 700 Nigerian youths, 350 of whom are students, to a National Conference on Anti Corruption.

An Executive member in ICPC, Professor Olu Aina, who stood in for the commission’s Chairman Ekpo Nta, during a meeting with the Senate of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), yesterday disclosed the plan and the steps being taken by the ICPC in its efforts to stamp out systemic corruption, and to orientate the youths to rebuff the menace.
The Conference, which is tagged ‘Mobilizing Nigerian Youth Against Corruption (NYAC), according to Prof. Aina, will hold by November ending at the International Conference Centre Abuja.

“About 700 participants are expected drawing 150 students from the Universities, 100 from the Polytechnics and 100 from Colleges of Education while other youths, not students will make up the rest of the number”, he said.

Besides, he said the ICPC strongly believes that the students should be veritable partners in the anti-corruption war. This he said informed ICPC to initiate a youth conference against Corruption.

The Conference, he said, was the outcome of ICPC just concluded Zonal Advisory Consultative Assembly on corruption, which took place in Ibadan where various youth organizations, including the National Association of Nigerian Students, spontaneously demanded to be involved in the fight against corruption.

“The ICPC therefore concluded plans to mobilize Nigerian youths from all over the country, for the purpose of enlightening, educating and conscientising them on the ills of corruption and empowering them to own the fight in collaboration with its technical partners notably the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) UNDP, DFID, Supervisory and Development Agencies of Government in the Tertiary Education Sector, Anti-Corruption Agencies and the National Orientation Agency NOA”.