The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has resolved to enlist the participation of the Nigerian youth to rid the nation of corruption. And in the process give the students, especially in tertiary institutions, a voice in the war against graft.
An Executive member in ICPC, Professor Olu Aina, standing in for the commission’s Chairman Ekpo Nta disclosed this during a meeting with the Senate of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) held at the Commission’s Board Room in Abuja.
The NANS was led to the meeting by its leader Tijani Usman.
The Conference, Prof Aina disclosed “is tagged ‘Mobilizing Nigerian Youth Against Corruption (NYaC) is scheduled to hold from 24 to 25 November 2015 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, non-students will make up the rest of the number”
Professor Aina said the ICPC strongly believed that the students should be a veritable partner 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 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.
He said “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”
Prof Aina said that the Conference is in conformity with Article 13 of the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) which requires each State Party “to promote the active participation of individuals and groups ….. and to raise public awareness regarding the existence, causes and gravity of, and threat posed by corruption”.
He expressed the hope that at the end of the Conference, the Nigerian youth would have been properly motivated, without compulsion, to embrace the new vigour of the current Administration in the fight against corruption and prepare themselves as responsible future leaders.
The Conference he said, would have four sessions featuring, among others, an opening ceremony, interactive sessions on various angles to fight corruption; and excursion to key institutions in Abuja.
The ICPC, he said decided to bring in NANS from the point of organizing and planning of the conference so as to make it a youth affair from the very beginning.
In response, the NANS President Usman lauded the initiative of the Commission as being proactive and informed the planning committee that the Association was willing to partner with the ICPC in organizing the National Conference and in the fight to neutralize corruption.
He assured the Committee that there had been no factions of the NANS for the past three years and that the body was legitimate.
He also assured the Committee that the nomination of participants to attend the Conference would cut across the various tertiary institutions, and youth parliament organizations in the country.
The student body also suggested that a rally be conducted before the Conference to create awareness for the National Conference and that subsequently the Conference be held at grassroot levels and not limited only to the national level.
Follow Us