ICPC points to global best practices in fighting corruption as China shares experience

ICPC points to global best practices in fighting corruption as China shares experience

By Raphael Ekpang

Abuja (Key Reporters) – The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN, has said Nigeria will continue to draw lessons from global best practices and comparative experiences to strengthen its anti-corruption policies and strategies.

This is contained in a statement signed by ICPC Head of Media and Public Communications, J. Okor Odey, and made available to Core Reporters on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.

Dr Aliyu stated this at the third edition of the International Diplomatic Dialogue, themed “Sharing Experiences in Anti-Corruption Policies and Strategies: The Chinese Perspective”, held at the ICPC Headquarters in Abuja.

The ICPC Chairman said that as Nigeria deepens its anti-corruption efforts, it was significant to learn from comparative experiences, understand global best practices and identify innovative approaches that could be adapted to the country’s local realities.

According to him, “As Nigeria continues to deepen its anti-corruption efforts, it is very useful to learn from comparative experiences, understand best practices and identify innovative approaches that can be adapted to our local realities.”

He noted that corruption remains a grave threat to political, socioeconomic progress and development, particularly in societies where it has been allowed to thrive unchecked.

Dr Aliyu said China has made significant progress in fighting corruption through key anti-corruption institutions, especially the National Supervisory Commission (NSC) and the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI).

He added that the Commission is keen to learn from China’s strategies and policies, including institutional and legal reforms, as well as implementation measures taken in the fight against corruption.

The ICPC President recalled that the Commission had previously hosted the High Commissioner of Kenya to Nigeria and the Ambassador of Indonesia to Nigeria at the first and second editions of the international diplomatic dialogue respectively.

He said the engagements provided opportunities for exchanging knowledge and experiences on the approaches taken by different countries in tackling corruption.

In his remarks, the Chancellor of the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), Prof. Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim said China’s transformation from one of the world’s poorest nations to a major economic and technological power was driven in part by strong political will and sustained efforts to fight corruption.

He said China has strengthened its anti-corruption system through unified investigations, a zero-tolerance approach to corruption and the use of technology to improve transparency and detect corrupt practices.

The provost also highlighted the importance of Confucian values, including righteousness, fairness, wisdom, sincerity and integrity, in promoting ethical conduct.

He called for comparative learning between Nigeria and China’s anti-corruption systems to strengthen accountability and support sustainable national development.

In his opening speech, the Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Nigeria and Director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Nigeria, Counselor Yang Juanxing, explained that China’s anti-corruption approach has gone beyond investigating and punishing individual offenders.

He said the approach combines law enforcement with prevention, institutional reform, oversight and education, adding that it was designed to build a system where people “are not willing to corrupt, are unable to corrupt and are afraid to corrupt.”

The Chinese advisor stressed the importance of responsibility, arguing that no individual should consider himself or herself to be above the law due to position, power or personal connections.

According to him, responsibility must apply to everyone, regardless of status.

It also identified values, institutions and the rule of law as essential pillars of a sustainable anti-corruption framework.

He stressed the need to cultivate integrity, establish transparent procedures, strengthen effective supervision and ensure that violations of the law carry appropriate consequences.

The international diplomatic dialogue was organized by the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), the research and training arm of the Commission, as a platform for sharing knowledge, ideas and experiences on anti-corruption practices in different countries.