The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission and other Related Offences has disclosed that it received petitions relating to corrupt practices in hundreds on daily basis from different quarters of Nigeria through whistle- blowing system.
The chairman of the commission, Mr. Ekpo Nta made this known at a convocation lecture he delivered at the Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State on Friday evening.
The lecture was titled : Ethical Deficit, Corruption and Crisis of National Identity : Integrity of termites.
He posited that the anti-corruption agencies in the country could not alone curb corruption without cooperation of the citizens, commending the whistle- blowing system for yielding positive results in the bid to eradicate corrupt practices in the country.
The ICPC chairman reiterated that the whistle -blowing system had tremendously increased the number of petitions received by the commission received daily unlike before when people were not encouraged to give out information to the commission.
Nta said, “Anti-graft agencies cannot curb corruption, The victims of corruption are the ones who will drive the curbing of corruption because they are the ones paying for it.
“When we were operating in a system where we are not getting whistle-blowing tips from citizens. If you are lucking in a month, you will get anonymous petitions may be five to ten.
“Suddenly we have put money on that business, there is hardly any day we will not get hundreds of petitions. Even your drivers when they see you carrying ghana-must-go bag of shirts you have collected from the laundry, they will write that there is money in the bag.”
He however warned the people against send malicious petitions to the commissions in the name of whistle-blowing.
In his remarks, the Pro-Chancellor of the university, Mr. Bode Ayorinde said the management of the institution would set up an ICPC club on the campus to further entrench discipline in the institution.
The lawmaker, currently representing Ose/Owo Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives urged the ICPC chairman to come back to the institution to inaugurate the ICPC club as soon as it was set up.
