Abuja: The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has emphasized the necessity of enhanced collaboration with China to bolster Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework. This call for partnership was made by Dr. Musa Aliyu, SAN, the Chairman of ICPC, during the third International Diplomatic Dialogue at the ICPC Headquarters in Abuja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Aliyu highlighted the potential benefits Nigeria could gain from China’s institutional and legal reforms. The dialogue, themed ‘Experience Sharing in Anti-Corruption Policies and Strategies: The Chinese Perspective,’ featured the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. Yu Dunhai, represented by Mr. Yang Jiangxing, as the guest speaker. Aliyu emphasized the timeliness of the event, considering the detrimental impact of corruption on nations’ political, socio-economic, and developmental progress.
Nigeria and China established diplomatic relations in 1971, which have since expanded to include economic, strategic, trade, and infrastructure cooperation. Aliyu expressed Nigeria’s interest in China’s anti-corruption entities, the National Supervisory Commission (NSC) and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI), noting China’s significant efforts through these bodies. He stressed the importance of learning from international experiences and best practices to adapt innovative anti-corruption strategies to Nigeria’s local context.
The ICPC’s commitment to fostering international cooperation and promoting evidence-based corruption prevention aligns with its training division, the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN). Aliyu recalled past dialogues with Kenyan and Indonesian representatives as part of broadening knowledge exchange. He praised ACAN’s Provost, Prof. Sheriff Ibrahim, for organizing the initiative and encouraged active participant engagement to build stronger partnerships.
Ambassador Yu Dunhai remarked that Nigeria and China could enhance their anti-corruption cooperation by sharing experiences on prevention and values education. He emphasized corruption as a global governance challenge, advocating for measures to prevent public power abuse and safeguard public resources. Dunhai highlighted Confucian teachings that continue to shape public conduct in China, emphasizing integrity as both a moral and economic asset.
Prof. Sheriff Ibrahim of ACAN noted that Nigeria could achieve transformative development by adapting China’s Confucian ethics, political will, and technology-driven enforcement in its anti-corruption efforts. He commended Aliyu’s leadership, under which ICPC achieved significant recoveries and investigations, securing convictions and awards for diligent investigation. Ibrahim also highlighted China’s remarkable economic transformation since the 1970s, attributing this success to political will and technological advancements under President Xi Jinping.