By James Sowole in Akure
The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) at the weekend said the whistle blowing initiative of the federal government had increased the number of petitions received daily by the commission from different quarters.
The ICPC Chairman, Mr. Ekpo Nta, stated this at a convocation lecture he delivered at the Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State, with the title: ‘Ethical Deficit, Corruption and Crisis of National Identity : Integrity of Termites’.
Nta said the anti-corruption agencies in the country could not curb corruption alone without the cooperation of the citizens, commending the whistle- blowing system for yielding positive results in the bid to eradicate corrupt practices in the country.
The ICPC chairman reiterated that the whistle-blowing system had tremendously increased the number of petitions received by the commission unlike before when people were not encouraged to give out information to the anti-corruption agency.
“Anti-graft agencies cannot curb corruption alone; the victims of corruption are the ones who will drive its end because they are the ones paying for it.
“When we were operating in a system where we were not getting whistle-blowing tips from the citizens, if you are lucky in a month, you will get anonymous petitions may be five to 10.
“Suddenly we have put money on that business, there is hardly any day that we don’t get hundreds of petitions. Even your drivers, if they saw you carrying Ghana-must-go bag of shirts you collected from the laundry, they would write that there is money in the bag,” he said.
However, Nta warned people against sending malicious petitions to the commissions in the name of whistle-blowing.
In his remarks, the Pro-Chancellor of the university, Mr. Bode Ayorinde, said the management of the institution would set up an ICPC club on the campus to further entrench discipline in the institution.
The lawmaker representing Ose/Owo federal constituency in the House of Representatives urged the ICPC chairman to come back to the institution to inaugurate the ICPC club as soon as it is set up.
