Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, has charged traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community-based civil society organisations to see their roles as critical to the development of their communities.
The ICPC boss submitted on Tuesday at the Lagos State Resource Centre in Ikeja during a one-day sensitisation dialogue on the National Ethics and Integrity Policy
Owasanoye stated that if the policy is to succeed, its design and implementation must identify and recognise them as key stakeholders in its promotion.
He stated, “As character moulders and champions of integrity and national development, traditional rulers, religious leaders, and community-based civil society organisations, you all play crucial roles in the development of your various communities. The design and implementation of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy identify and recognise you as critical stakeholders in its promotion, if the policy is to succeed.”
The ICPC chairman recalled that the agency had met with some stakeholders since the initiative was launched in 2020, where he disclosed that the campaign to sensitise various stakeholders on the NEIP was going to be continuous and would be at the national and sub-national levels.
Meanwhile, Owasanoye has reiterated the commitment of the anti-graft agency to investigate cases of sexual harassment and prosecute offenders.
He made this known on Tuesday at an event themed, “National stakeholder engagement and presentation of draft model policies on sexual harassment in educational institutions”, which was held at the ICPC headquarters in Abuja.
He said, “The commission is fully committed to educating its officers and the general public on what amounts to abuse of office through sexual harassment; identifying it in an official environment, addressing it appropriately, investigating allegations of sexual harassment and where a prima facie case is established prosecuting offenders; also preventing the commission of the act by advising the public on safeguards which could be put in place in organisations to reduce opportunities for persons to sexually harass other people from doing so.
“One of such safeguards is for every organisation, including educational institutions to have their own stand-alone sexual harassment policy, not just one paragraph in their staff handbook, but more importantly, to enforce it, as prevention is always better than cure.”
