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A Brief History of ICPC
The swearing-in of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on 29 May 1999, as the
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Commander-in-Chief of the
Armed Forces was a political watershed for Nigeria after several years of
military rule and it marked a new dawn for Nigeria in more ways than
one, not least in the fight against corruption. At the time the civilian
administration came into power, corruption in Nigeria had indeed
become a full blown cancer. In 1999, Transparency International
Corruption Perception Index rated Nigeria the second most corrupt
nation in the world.
Although corruption is a global malaise, the extent of its reach in the
country was tragically stupendous. All indicators showed that the spread
of this cancer had become frightening. It pervaded private and public
institutions and overwhelmed all levels of government.
The price of corruption has been extremely high. The economic, political,
social and moral bases of the country have been severely eroded and
degraded. It has brought us near the brink and almost rendered us
helpless and hopeless. Even religious institutions, the gate keepers of
the nation's moral conscience, were not immune to the ravages of the
cancer. It became imperative that something drastic had to be done to
arrest the rot. This impelled the commitment of the President to tackle
corruption head-on.
The ICPC Act 2000 brought a fresh and decisive perspective to the fight
against corruption in the form of a holistic approach encompassing
enforcement, prevention and educational measures. It captures in a
single document, a host of corrupt offences in their old and
sophisticated guises. It sets up the Independent Corrupt Practices and
Other Related Offences Commission with wide-ranging powers. The Act
brings under its purview all Nigerians, in the private and public sectors
and even those public officers with constitutional immunity.
Independent Corrupt Practices And Other Related Offences Commission was inaugurated on September 29th, 2000 by the Nigerian President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, GCFR.
The commission is at the hub of Nigeria 's fight against corruption. The main duty of the commission is to receive complaints, investigate and prosecute offenders. Other duties include education and enlightenment of the public about and against bribery, corruption and related offences. The commission also has the task of reviewing and modifying the activities of public bodies, where such practices may aid corruption.
The Chairman and Members of the Commission are as follows:
- Hon. Justice Emmanuel O. Ayoola JSC, CFR
- Alhaji A. R. K. Saba
- Ambassador Dr. Uriah Angulu
- Senator Adejo Ogiri
- Dr. Tukur Bello Ingawa mni, OON - Secretary to the Commission
Membership of the Commission
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences
th Commission was inaugurated on the 29 of September, 2000 by
President Olusegun Obasanjo. As provided for in Section 3(3) of the Act
2000, the Commission consists of a Chairman and twelve (12) Members,
two of whom represent each of the six geo-political zones of the country.
The membership is drawn from the following categories of Nigerians as
spelt out by the Act:
- A retired Police Officer not below the rank of Commissioner of
Police;
- A legal practitioner with at least 10 years post-call experience;
- A retired Judge of a superior court of record;
- A retired Public Servant not below the rank of a Director;
- A woman;
- A youth not being less than 21 or more than 30 years of age at the
time of his or her appointment; and
- A chartered accountant.
The Act provides that the Chairman and Members of the Commission, who
shall be persons of proven integrity, shall be appointed by the President upon
confirmation by the Senate and shall not begin to discharge their duties until
they have declared their assets and liabilities as prescribed in the Constitution
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The tenure of office for the Chairman is five
(5) years while that of the Members is four (4) years in the first instance.
The Act also provides for the position of a Secretary to the Commission who is
to be appointed by the President. The Commission is granted the powers to
appoint, deploy, discipline and determine the conditions of service of its staff.
Section 3 (14) of the Act enshrines the independence of the Commission by
providing that “the Commission shall in the discharge of its functions
under this Act, not be subject to the direction or control of any other
person or authority”.
For a detailed ICPC history please click here to download our publications.
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Population - 140 Million
GDP - $54.7Billion
GDP per Capita - $400
GDP Growth - 3.8%
GNI – $42.8 Billion
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