The Nigerian Bar Association, through its Anti-Corruption Committee (NBAA-CC), on Wednesday, signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU)with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN) to formalise collaboration on anti-corruption initiatives.
The signing took place on Wednesday at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja.
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Chairperson of the NBA Anti-Corruption Committee, Babafemi Badejo, a professor, said in a statement that the first MoU signed with the ICPC established a framework for joint action to “promote professional integrity, enhance capacity building, raise public awareness, and advocate policy reforms.”
“It is a pact to align the NBA’s mandate to promote the rule of law with the ICPC’s statutory powers to investigate and prosecute, prevent, and educate on the destructive effects of corruption,” Mr Badejo said.
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On the second agreement, signed with ACAN, he said it focused on education, training, and research. According to him, the agreement provided a structured pathway for anti-corruption curricula, joint research, and certificate programmes for lawyers and allied professionals, aimed at strengthening ethical standards within the legal profession.
Mr Badejo described the event as “more than a signing ceremony,” as it marked a declaration that anti-corruption institutions and the legal profession were aligned in purpose, strategy, and resolve.
He said the agreements offered Nigerians a future built on transparency, accountability, and the rule of law as “undeniable pillars.”
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He explained that efforts to curb corruption must go beyond accountability and empower people of integrity with the tools and institutional support required to act responsibly. Hence, he said both agreements “represent a comprehensive strategy” that combined enforcement and prevention with education and cultural reform.
The NBAA-CC chairperson praised the NBA President, Afam Osigwe, who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), for establishing the Anti-Corruption Committee and said the move sent “a powerful message” about the association’s commitment to the rule of law. He said the initiative showed the legal profession was “not a bystander” but a key driver of accountability and systemic change.
Mr Badejo also commended the ICPC chairman, Musa Aliyu, who is also SAN, and said his openness to partnership showed an understanding that the commission’s mandate was strengthened through collaboration with the legal profession.
‘Corruption thrives where institutions work in silos’
Also in a statement on Wednesday, Mr Aliyu, the ICPC chair, said the commission received the MoU with the NBA as a strategic alliance to strengthen Nigeria’s justice system and restore public confidence in governance.
He said the partnership aligned with the commission’s mandate and the National Anti-Corruption Strategy 2022–2026, particularly in prevention, capacity building, and public enlightenment.
“Corruption thrives where institutions work in silos; integrity flourishes where partnerships are forged,” Mr Aliyu said. He described the MoU as a collaboration anchored on shared values, including the supremacy of the rule of law, professional ethics, accountability, and service to Nigerians.
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He noted that the commission shared the NBA Anti-Corruption Committee’s emphasis on prevention and ethical reorientation and noted that enforcement without education and prosecution without prevention could not deliver sustainable results.
While he stressed that the partnership with the ACAN underscored the importance of knowledge, research, and skills development in the anti-corruption fight. He said such an agreement would help produce legal practitioners who viewed integrity as a professional obligation.
He commended the NBA leadership for institutionalising the Anti-Corruption Committee and said the initiative showed that lawyers were not mere observers but key partners in efforts to build a just and transparent society.
He concluded that the MoU affirmed that the ICPC and the NBA were united in resolve and committed to implementation, accountability, and sustained engagement.
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