Efforts to boast Nigeria’s anti-corruption architecture, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening fiscal oversight, improving transparency, and curbing abuses in public financial management.
The agreement, sealed at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja, coincided with the global observance of International Anti-Corruption Day, an alignment both agencies described as symbolic of Nigeria’s resolve to intensify the fight against corruption.
Welcoming the FRC team, ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to deepening inter-agency collaboration as a strategic tool for preventing and combating corruption.”ICPC must feel like home because of our longstanding relationship,” Dr. Aliyu said.
“Information is power, and working closely with the FRC is essential for promoting accountability in government spending, budgeting, and borrowing. The ICPC stands ready to support this partnership at all times.”
He emphasised that the partnership would harness the FRC’s statutory role in monitoring fiscal operations to enhance ICPC’s preventive and enforcement functions.
FRC Chairman, Victor Muruako, described the MoU as a formal consolidation of a productive alliance built over the years, noting that the timing on a globally recognized anti-corruption day reinforces its significance.
“While the FRC continues to collaborate with other law enforcement agencies, our relationship with the ICPC requires formalisation through this MoU to improve our collective service delivery,” he said.
He expressed confidence that the partnership would yield measurable impact, stressing that both agencies remain steadfast in safeguarding public resources.
Muruako also highlighted persistent breaches of fiscal laws by some financial institutions and insisted that all government loans must comply strictly with legal parameters.
Under the new MoU, both agencies will expand information sharing, tighten scrutiny of revenue and expenditure, and strengthen joint efforts to detect, investigate, and prosecute fiscal-related corruption nationwide.
J. Okor Odey, Spokesperson for the Commission in a statement on Wednesday said both ICPC and FRC expressed optimism that the renewed collaboration will significantly enhance transparency, accountability, and good governance within Nigeria’s public finance system.
