ICPC’ll wield big stick when necessary — Chairman

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Musa Aliyu (SAN), on Tuesday, said the commission would not hesitate to wield the big stick against erring state Houses of Assembly legislators when necessary.

This is as he said the commission was ready to partner with the state legislative arm of government to fight corruption.

He spoke at the opening of a three-day capacity building workshop for Jigawa State legislators in Abuja.

Aliyu said, “At the ICPC, we will continue to carry out our three-pronged mandate of enforcement, prevention, public education, and mass mobilization within the confines of the law. We are ready to partner with the state legislature to advance the fight against corruption, as we have done and are still doing with other arms and tiers of government. However, we will succeed in wielding the big stick when the occasion demands that we do so.

“This is why I am appealing to us to take advantage of the learning sessions, share experiences where necessary, and leave the commission’s premises better informed than when you arrived.”

He urged the state legislative arm of government to be transparent and accountable to effectively combat corruption.

Aliyu said, “The relevance of the legislature in democratic governance need not be overemphasised. The oversight function is critical in ensuring that the legislature’s intent in making laws that will improve the living standard of the poor is reflected in the performance of the executive functions.

“The legislature is expected to detect waste, inefficiency, ineffectiveness, corruption, and mismanagement of public resources. However, these functions can only be effectively discharged by the legislative arm of government if it embraces transparency and accountability in its operations. This is why this workshop is so important.”

The acting Director, Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria, Richard Bello, said legislators are crucial in the fight against corruption in the country.

Bello said, “The importance of working with the legislative arm of government at both federal and state levels in combating the phenomenon of corruption can never be overstated. Legislators as direct representatives of the people in the corridors of power occupy a very sensitive position in a democratic setting such as ours in this country.

“The legislative arm of government is a veritable partner in the quest to tackle corruption in the country, as some of its institutional practices are ready tools that could be deployed to fight corruption.”