Anti-corruption fight must begin in classrooms, not courtrooms – ICPC chairman

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Musa Aliyu (SAN), has said Nigeria cannot defeat corruption through arrests and prosecutions alone, stressing that the country’s anti-corruption campaign must begin in classrooms, where values and professional ethics are formed.

Aliyu made the remarks on Friday at the ICPC and Nigerian Law School Kano Zonal Workshop on Integrating Anti-Corruption Education into Nigerian Universities and the Nigerian Law School.

He said corruption continues to impose enormous costs on ordinary Nigerians by weakening institutions, undermining justice, slowing development and eroding public trust.

“The public pays for corruption,” he said, adding that the fight against the menace requires a stronger focus on prevention through education.

According to the ICPC chairman, while investigation and prosecution remain key aspects of the commission’s mandate, preventing corruption by instilling ethical values in future professionals is equally important.

“There is no more fertile ground for prevention than the classroom,” Aliyu said.

He noted that legal education plays a critical role in shaping the ethical standards of future lawyers, whose professional decisions have significant implications for governance, accountability and the administration of justice.

Aliyu warned that the justice system is weakened whenever legal practitioners compromise ethical principles, urging universities and the Nigerian Law School to make integrity a central component of legal training rather than an afterthought.

He explained that the Kano workshop is part of the commission’s broader initiative to institutionalise anti-corruption education in legal training, following an earlier engagement with deans of law faculties and the Nigerian Law School in Abuja.

He added that a similar workshop would be held for stakeholders in the South-West in Lagos.

The ICPC chairman said the commission was not seeking to impose a rigid curriculum but would collaborate with legal educators to develop a framework that strengthens ethical standards while reflecting academic realities.

“The Commission will support and facilitate this process. We are committed to providing the institutional support required because we believe the impact of this initiative can extend beyond legal education to other professions and eventually across the public sector,” he said.

Aliyu stressed that the success of the initiative would not be measured by discussions held during the workshop but by the ethical decisions future lawyers make in their careers.

Illustrating his point, he asked participants to imagine a young lawyer confronted with the temptation to compromise justice years after graduation.

“The decision that the lawyer makes will be influenced by the values we choose to teach today,” he said.

Expressing concern over increasing public scrutiny of the legal profession, Aliyu said legal education must produce lawyers who are recognised not only for their knowledge of the law but also for their commitment to truth, justice and accountability.

He urged participants to consider whether legal education should produce professionals who strengthen national development or individuals who use their legal knowledge to frustrate justice.

The ICPC chairman also thanked participants and resource persons for contributing to what he described as an important national conversation and paid tribute to Professor Isa Chiroma for his contributions to the initiative.

Reaffirming the commission’s commitment to supporting reforms in legal education, Aliyu called on parents, teachers and members of the legal profession to lead by example in promoting integrity.

“I hope that one day we will all look back with pride and know that we made a difference in the history of this country,” he said.