Traditional, religious leaders vanguards of the people – ICPC | Tellwell Newspaper
Tellwell Newspaper, Abuja – Nigeria:
From Ahmad Saka, Bauchi
The role of traditional rulers, religious and community leaders in alerting government on the plight of their respective communities took the center stage at a one-day sensitization dialogue on behavioural change organized by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Bauchi.
ICPC organised the dialogue with the traditional rulers, religious leaders and civil society organizations on national ethics, in collaboration with the National Orientation Agency and the Bauchi State Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, with the support of MacArthur Foundation.
The Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, described the traditional rulers, religious and community leaders as the voice of the voiceless and the link between government and the rural communities.
Represented by a member of ICPC board, Dr Solomon Louis Mandama, Owasanoye described them as critical stakeholders in the promotion of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy (NEIP) launched by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020.
He said they formed critical groups for the success of the policy due to their closeness to the grassroots and exert a great deal of influence in initiating and sustaining behavioural change among the people.
The Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner ICPC Bauchi state, Baba Gali Rogi, said the sensitization dialogue was a follow-up to a similar dialogue that held on the 18th of May 2021, where stakeholders rubbed minds on critical government policies that would assist in curbing the menace of corruption and entrenching good ethical values in the society.
