The Deputy Commissioner, North West zone of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences (ICPC), Malam Musa Ibrahim Alkali, has said that the greatest cog in the wheel of Nigeria’s progress is corruption.
He stated this in Kaduna during a public lecture for the Marshals of Kaduna State Traffic and Environmental Law Enforcement Agency (KASTELEA) organised by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna Council.
In his paper captioned, “Causes and Consequences of Corruption,” the Deputy Commissioner stressed that corruption was any conduct that amounts to dishonesty, breach of trust, influence peddling by the use of fraudulent means, offering or accepting gratification among others.
He also grouped corruption into bribery, embezzlement, fraud, intimidation, extortion, abuse of power, conflict of interest, insider trading and receiving an unlawful gratuity, favour or illegal commission.
Others, he said, are favouritism, nepotism, money laundering and identity theft among others. He advised that all forms of corruption should be avoided by Nigerians.
According to him, factors such as low salaries, decline in morals and ethics, greed and desire for self enrichment, poverty, unemployment, weak checks, among others were possible causative factors directly linked to corruption.
He explained, “Corruption thrives where there is monopoly of power, large operational discretion and weak oversight, operations and process are not transparent, positive values are lacking, risk of getting caught and being punished is low.
“Societal dynamics put pressure on office holders; poverty, materialism, low pay, poor welfare, sectional interests, societal pressure etc, great personal greed.”
He affirmed that corruption was not limited to monetary issues, adding that it had permeated all fabric of the Nigerian society.
He warned that corrupt persons were enemies of Nigeria as everybody is negatively affected with their act, advising against celebrating corrupt people in any part of the country.
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