Namibian govt reaches out to Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies for partnership

Posted by admin Corruption Politics, EFCC Politics, General Politics, Latest Politics, National Politics, Top Stories Sunday, October 13th, 2024

By Ikenna Ngere

The Namibian government has sought support from Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to enhance its efforts against corruption.

In a recent statement, Namibia highlighted Nigeria’s pioneering role in Africa’s anti-corruption movement, indicating the desire to learn from Nigeria’s extensive experience.

This collaboration is intended to include training sessions and knowledge sharing between Namibia’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and Nigeria’s anti-corruption bodies.

The announcement was made during a visit to the ICPC headquarters in Abuja by Namibia’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Humphrey Geise.

During his visit, Geise praised Nigeria’s success in curbing corruption and stressed the importance of sharing these achievements with other African nations.

He noted that while Namibia has its own anti-corruption body, it seeks to benefit from Nigeria’s expertise, particularly in the area of asset recovery.

“The fight against corruption is taking a new dimension in the continent and we believe Nigeria should lead in sharing its expertise in the fight against corruption and we hope it will open its doors to other African countries like Namibia to learn.

“We feel ICPC and the EFCC should be able to go the extra mile to share their remarkable achievements. It’s not good for Namibia to go outside the continent to learn this,” the statement quoted the envoy as saying.

ICPC Chairman Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, responded by welcoming the ambassador’s visit, noting its timeliness as the commission launched its Strategic Action Plan for 2024-2028.

Aliyu stressed that Africa’s battle against corruption must be collaborative to dismantle illicit networks and promote better governance and foreign investment on the continent.

“Those who indulge in corruption have their networks. So, we too at the continent need to come together so that we can distort the illegal methods. By doing so, we’ll have good governance and a vibrant foreign-direct investment on the continent.

“We are aware of the MoU signed by my predecessor, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye, I wish to reiterate that our doors remain open for any assistance that the Namibian Anti-corruption Commission may require from us. We have our own Anti-corruption Academy where we train people, I believe when your people come, we can also learn from them as well,” he stated.

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