The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has inaugurated Students’ Anti-Corruption Clubs (SAC) in 40 private secondary schools across the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), signalling a significant strategic expansion of its youth engagement drive.
ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu (SAN), who presided over the launch in Abuja on Thursday, noted that the initiative departs from past practice, which predominantly targeted government-owned institutions. He reaffirmed that youth mobilisation remains central to the commission’s mandate under Section 6(e-f) of the ICPC Act 2000, which empowers it to educate and mobilise young people against corrupt practices.
Mr Aliyu highlighted the National Values Curriculum (NVC)—developed in collaboration with the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC)—as a foundational tool for instilling integrity. With an estimated 20 million youths having passed through the commission’s reorientation programmes since 2003, the new clubs are designed to sustain these values at the secondary level, complementing similar vanguards already established in tertiary institutions.
In a further innovation, ICPC Director of Public Education, Demola Bakare, unveiled a new strategic directive approved by the chairman. This includes unscheduled school visits by commission officials and the integration of value-reorientation sessions into Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings. The move aims to create a tripartite platform where parents, teachers, and students can collectively participate in combating unethical behaviour.
Development partners, including the Gender Mobile Initiative, Women Aid Collective, Step-Up Nigeria, and CISLAC, lauded the commission’s sustained preventive approach. They urged the inducted students to reject examination malpractice, dishonesty, and other vices, while embracing accountability and responsible citizenship.
In their reactions, student representatives expressed determination to lead the fight from their classrooms. Tiamiyu Rilwan of Adeola International School pledged to exhibit integrity among his peers, while Toona Obinna emphasised the importance of reporting corrupt activities to school authorities and educating fellow students on the dangers of corruption.