Stop Glamourising Questionable Wealth, ICPC Tells Nigerians

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has urged Nigerians to stop glamourising sudden and unexplained wealth and cultivate the culture of questioning its sources.

The commission also challenged the media, religious institutions and parents to promote integrity and ethical values as part of efforts to curb corruption and restore public trust.

Mr Kupolati Kayode, who represented the ICPC chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, spoke in Abuja at the Verbatim Annual Ethics and Integrity Awards/Dinner, where 100 ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) were recognised for compliance with ethics and integrity standards.

Speaking on the theme, “The Power of Integrity in National Development: Strengthening Public Institutions, Restoring Trust and Driving Prosperity,” Aliyu said integrity must be entrenched in society as a way of life.

He said integrity was essential to national development, institutional strength and economic prosperity, warning that corruption undermined development and public confidence in institutions.

According to him, the ICPC’s anti-corruption efforts extend beyond prosecution to public education and the promotion of ethical conduct.

He said integrity would ensure that public contracts were awarded based on competence rather than personal connections, thereby improving efficiency and reducing the cost of doing business.

Kayode urged Nigerians to contribute to the fight against corruption by obeying the law, speaking the truth, and demanding accountability from public officials.

Earlier, the chairman of the occasion, Prof Iyorwuese Hagher, called for an end to the practice of celebrating people with unexplained wealth.

Hagher, a former Minister of State for Power and Steel, said the fight against corruption required more than laws, investigations and prosecutions, stressing the need to rebuild the nation’s conscience and make integrity a shared moral responsibility.

He said society should not honour individuals who allegedly acquired wealth through questionable means and later used donations, scholarships or sponsorships of social and religious activities to gain public recognition.

“Generosity cannot erase injustice, and a society that allows stolen wealth to buy respect teaches young people that corruption is a legitimate path to success,” he said.

Hagher described corruption as “violence committed through paperwork,” noting that the diversion of public funds deprives citizens of healthcare, education, roads, security and other essential services.

He called for integrity to be taught in homes, schools, religious institutions, political parties and professional bodies, while urging leaders to lead by example.

Publisher of Verbatim News Magazine, Mr Tobs Agbaegbu, said the 100 institutions and their chief executives were selected based on the ICPC’s 2025 Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard.

He said the awards were designed to encourage transparency, accountability, integrity and effective service delivery in public institutions.