The Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), has urged rural communities in Niger State to support the fight against corruption.
“We have embarked on a crusade against corruption and want everyone, especially rural dwellers, to be part of the effort to rid Nigeria of the menace,” ICPC acting chairman, Bako Abdullahi, said yesterday in Minna.
He spoke at a one-day engagement with Community Development Associations (CDAs), organised in partnership with a democracy action group, Dispute Resolution and Development Initiative.
Represented by Mr. Baba Ashiru, the commission’s Head of Education, he asked rural communities to assist the commission with useful information about corrupt practices in their localities.
“We have enlisted individual members of the public into our National Anti- corruption Volunteer Corps (NAVC); it has branches in every state to ensure adequate grass root sensitisation,” he said.
He challenged the rural dwellers to be part of budget planning, implementation and monitoring to ensure effective and efficient deployment of resources.
Executive Director, Dispute Resolution and Development Initiative, Dr. Muhammad Yahaya, urged citizens to key into the anti-corruption crusade as part of their contribution toward a better Nigeria.
He said education and public enlightenment were keys to the anti-graft war, adding that the role of communities as change agents could not be over-emphasised.
He maintained that corruption persisted in the grassroots because most victims lacked awareness and could easily be intimidated into submission or silence.