ICPC chairman urges stronger anti-corruption frameworks at state, local levels
Kola Oyelere Kano
The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has called for stronger and more effective anti-corruption systems at the state and local government levels, warning that weak sub-national oversight continues to undermine governance and service delivery.
Dr. Aliyu made the call on Wednesday, December 17, 2025, while speaking at a thematic session titled “Building Anti-Corruption Frameworks for Sub-national Governance” during the 11th Session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in Doha. The conference was organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
He said efforts to combat corruption must go beyond the federal level, noting that public funds and services most directly affect citizens at the grassroots. According to him, focusing only on federal institutions allows corruption to flourish in local governments, where oversight mechanisms and public scrutiny are often weakest.
Dr. Aliyu observed that with Nigeria’s 774 local government areas, the ICPC lacks the manpower to maintain a physical presence nationwide, prompting the commission to prioritise preventive measures such as corruption risk assessments.
He described the eight governance assessment pillars developed by the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity as a useful framework for strengthening accountability at sub-national levels.
The ICPC chairman also stressed the importance of citizen participation in tackling corruption, explaining that this informed the launch of the Accountability and Corruption Prevention Programme in Local Government Areas (ACPP-LG) in April 2025. The initiative, he said, is designed to empower communities, enhance transparency, and improve feedback mechanisms to proactively address corruption at the grassroots.
He urged state governments to institutionalise transparency frameworks, strengthen public financial management systems, and align procurement processes with global accountability standards. Dr. Aliyu further called for closer collaboration among public institutions, oversight bodies, and civil society organisations in the fight against corruption.
Highlighting challenges at the sub-national level, he identified opaque budgeting processes, inflated contracts, payroll fraud through ghost workers, and weak audit systems as major sources of revenue leakages and poor project execution.
According to him, achieving sustainable development and poverty reduction requires embedding anti-corruption compliance into the administrative culture of states and local governments.
Dr. Aliyu also underscored the role of technology in promoting transparency, advocating the adoption of digital procurement systems, automated audit tools, and integrated service delivery platforms to reduce human discretion and opportunities for abuse.
The session attracted delegates from UN member states, anti-corruption agencies, and governance experts, who examined strategies for strengthening institutional safeguards at decentralised levels of government in line with UNCAC obligations.
The 11th UNCAC Conference continues in Doha with discussions on corruption prevention, asset recovery, international cooperation, and institutional reforms aimed at improving accountability across all tiers of public administration.