The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, says it is working to integrate anti-corruption education into Nigeria’s legal training system to produce lawyers committed to integrity, accountability and the rule of law.
ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this at the closing ceremony of the ICPC/Nigerian Law School Zonal Workshop on the Integration of Anti-Corruption Education into Nigerian Universities and the Nigerian Law School in Abuja.
Aliyu said the initiative was part of the Commission’s strategy to prevent corruption through education, stressing that enforcement alone would not eliminate the menace.
“Fighting corruption requires more than investigation and prosecution. It also requires prevention, education and the promotion of values such as integrity, transparency, accountability and ethical conduct,” he said.
He noted that lawyers play a critical role in the administration of justice, adding that exposing them to anti-corruption principles during their training would strengthen ethical standards within the legal profession.
The ICPC chairman explained that the Commission was not imposing a fixed curriculum but encouraging stakeholders to determine whether anti-corruption education should be introduced as a standalone course or integrated into existing law courses.
Also speaking, former Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Prof. Isa Hayatu Chiroma, SAN, said participants reviewed a draft curriculum prepared by experts.
According to him, the recommendations from the workshop will be harmonised into a working document before undergoing validation by the Council of Legal Education, the Nigerian Law School, Deans of Faculties of Law, the ICPC and other stakeholders ahead of implementation nationwide.
