Winners emerge in ICPC Anti-Corruption Essay Competition

By Naomi Sharang
#TrackNigeria: Winners on Tuesday emerged in the Essay Competition for Secondary Schools organised for members of anti corruption clubs by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Abuja.
The event was organised for students in four states -Akwa-Ibom, Lagos, Kano and Rivers as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under the ICPC’s Rejuvenation, Resuscitation of Schools’ Anti-Corruption Clubs project.
The winners include Mbong Utibe-Abasi from Imperial Secondary School Eket, Akwa-Ibom who came first; Nnedima Orogbu from New Fountain Heights International School, Lagos who came second and Abuka Okezie of King’s College, Lagos who placed third.
Acting ICPC Chairman Mr Musa Abubakar presented prizes to the winners at a ceremony in Abuja.
Represented by Mrs Rasheedat Okoduwa, Public Relations Officer of the commission, Abubakar said 1, 539 students were mobilised in the clubs rejuvenation exercise.
“Out of the number, 322 participants were drawn from anti-corruption clubs in 126 schools from the four states and the FCT,” he said.
Abubakar said the commission had organised competitions ranging from essay writing to debates since 2007 with the aim of getting students actively engaged in the fight against corruption.
He explained that the action was part of the functions of the commission in preventing corruption by educating and fostering the support and cooperation of the public in the anti corruption fight.
The acting chairman, however, appealed to principals of schools to team up with ICPC in kitting and making the anti-corruption clubs active.
This, he said would facilitate the students’ understanding and appreciation of the need to shun corruption wherever they found themselves.
He commended the National Examination Council (NECO) for dispassionately assessing the essay entries.
Earlier, Director, Education in the commission, Mr Mohammed Baba said the competition was organised in collaboration with the Youth Alive Foundation, an Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) with the support from British Department for International Development (DFID).(NAN)