By Ben Enasco Kingsley

The Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Edo State Office has flagged off 3-day crusade  on its anti corruption sensitization workshop to Secondary School Students, Principals and various stakeholders in Benin metropolis.

The Workshop was one of its 3-day programmes  set aside on the theme: “building integrity in secondary schools” organized to commemorate international World anti-corruption day and its devastating effects held December 9, 2015.

Declaring the event open the State Commissioner of ICPC, Mr. Olukile Olusesan, stated that corruption is a global issue that recognises no limitations which may rear its ugly head in various ways and different part of the world; stressing that collectively, it can be taking to the cleaners if proper attention is payed from the onset by principals across our schools.

His words: ” meaningful involvement of secondary schools principal in the fight against corruption is important to ICPC. They are central to the initiative of the Commission targeted at equipping our youths into a new generation of tomorrow leaders. Am using this opportunity to solicit for the support and cooperation of our esteem school principals and stakeholders to actualise it vision and natural values in conjunction with National Education Research Council, NERDC.

The commissioner however, inducted anti-corruption club and vanguard into Secondary Schools and tertiary institutions to help checkmate, educate and engage the students on issues that bothers on anti-corruption crusade so that it will ensure proper conduct in them throughout adulthood

In similar vein, Prof. Mrs Azuka Alutu, Head of department Educational Evaluation and Counselling Psychology, University of Benin in her presentation during the workshop, thanked and commended the commission for the feat and harp on the need for synergy among stakeholders and issues of corruption  been apt now more than ever before as our country tend to witness dynamic revolution in its governance,adding that, anyone who lacks integrity is of split-personality and therefore not complete.

Prof. Alutu in her conclusion, pointed out some challenges that existed in most schools as improper integrity enforcement while recommending that schools should design Academic Integrity Policies and establish a healthy teacher-student relationship to build a veritable bonds in its operations.