Nigeria cannot defeat corruption through arrests and prosecutions alone; the anti-corruption campaign must begin in classrooms, where societal values and professional ethics are shaped.

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Aliyu (SAN), made this assertion on Friday at a joint workshop with the Nigerian Law School. Held at the Kano Zonal office, the event focused on integrating anti-corruption education into the curricula of Nigerian universities and the Nigerian Law School.

Aliyu maintained that while investigation and prosecution remain core aspects of the commission’s legislative mandate, proactive prevention through structured education offers the most sustainable path forward, describing the classroom as the most fertile ground for instilling ethical integrity.

The ICPC boss emphasized that corruption imposes staggering costs on ordinary citizens by systematically weakening public institutions, undermining the delivery of justice, slowing critical infrastructural development, and eroding public trust. Pointing specifically to legal education, Aliyu noted that training institutions play a pivotal role in setting the moral and ethical benchmarks for future lawyers, whose professional decisions eventually dictate the standards of governance and accountability across the nation.