The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has urged public relations officers and journalists to prioritise accuracy, fairness and responsibility in crisis management and reporting.
Aliyu warned that irresponsible communication about the prevalence of corruption in Nigeria could have unintended consequences by creating public fatigue and normalising the very conduct efforts to combat it seek to condemn.
The ICPC chairman gave the charge on Thursday in Abuja while delivering the keynote address at the 4th Economic Confidential Annual Lecture and 6th National Spokespersons Awards, organised by Image Merchants Promotion Limited (IMPR).
The event had as its theme, “Anti-Corruption Reforms, Economic Stability and Effective Communication.”
According to a statement issued by the Head of Media and Public Communications, ICPC, John Okor Odey, Aliyu described strategic communication as one of the most underestimated tools in the fight against corruption.
He told spokespersons, editors and other communication professionals that citizens could not support reforms they neither understood nor trusted.
Referencing the Basel Institute on Governance, the ICPC chairman said repeatedly emphasising how widespread corruption is could breed fatigue and resignation among citizens.
Such messaging, he noted, could reinforce the perception that corruption was inevitable and that “everyone is doing it”, thereby weakening individual resolve to resist corrupt practices.
Aliyu stressed that this did not mean spokespersons and journalists should understate the scale of corruption. Rather, he urged them to combine honest disclosure with practical information showing citizens how they could contribute to combating the problem.
He said communication that is specific, locally relevant and connected to citizens’ daily experiences was more effective than broad campaigns focused solely on the dangers of corruption.
According to him, highlighting the “true norm” — that the overwhelming majority of Nigerians reject corruption — could inspire greater confidence and action than constantly reinforcing perceptions that graft is pervasive.
The ICPC chairman also highlighted the strategic role of the media in the anti-corruption campaign, noting that investigative journalism had exposed major corruption cases and contributed to institutional reforms in Nigeria.
He, however, warned that credibility remained the media’s greatest asset, urging journalists to uphold accuracy, professionalism, fairness and objectivity rather than sensationalism.
Aliyu said maintaining these principles was essential to strengthening public trust and democratic accountability.
On the growing use of technology, he said artificial intelligence and digital tools offered significant opportunities for predictive analytics, fraud detection and procurement monitoring.
He, however, cautioned that emerging threats, including deepfakes and digital misinformation, required stronger legal safeguards to ensure that technological innovation remained a tool for transparency rather than becoming a vehicle for sophisticated corruption.
The ICPC chairman also urged stakeholders and policymakers to draw lessons from their educational backgrounds and personal experiences as examples of integrity.
He said such examples could help restore public confidence and contribute to building a more sustainable future.
Aliyu disclosed that the commission was consolidating related school-based interventions into a National Schools Integrity Programme, arguing that enforcement could address the symptoms of corruption, while a change in values was necessary to tackle its root causes.
He maintained that integrity must become part of Nigeria’s national culture rather than remain merely a legal obligation.
The ICPC chairman also highlighted some of the commission’s enforcement and prevention efforts.
He disclosed that the commission’s Constituency and Executive Projects Tracking Initiative had tracked 4,582 public projects valued at more than N22.53 trillion between 2023 and June 2026.
According to him, the initiative helped recover stalled projects worth N507.04 billion and generated estimated savings of N385.62 billion for the government.
He added that court-ordered forfeitures had also resulted in the recovery of public assets, including properties worth more than N5 billion linked to the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and N941.9 million connected to a 2024 payroll fraud scheme.
Aliyu said the outcomes further demonstrated the importance of honest and evidence-based communication in informing Nigerians about the impact of anti-corruption interventions.
He urged communication professionals to see themselves as “shapers of perception”, stressing that their responsibility extended beyond exposing wrongdoing.
He called for an anti-corruption campaign anchored on truth-telling that is “honest enough to be believed, and hopefully enough to be followed.”
In his welcome remarks, the Managing Director of IMPR, Mallam Yushau Shuaib, described Aliyu as an advocate of due process and a strong proponent of anti-corruption policy and asset recovery.
Shuaib also emphasised the critical role of communication professionals in effective crisis management.
The event, held at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja, featured the presentation of a research report on Artificial Intelligence in Crisis Communication in Nigeria.
It brought together government officials, public spokespersons, editors, diplomats, security agencies and civil society representatives.
Aliyu was also honoured with an award for championing anti-corruption reforms in recognition of his leadership of the ICPC’s enforcement, prevention and public enlightenment initiatives.
