Namibia government seeks Nigeria's help in fight against corruption

The Government of Namibia has sought the help of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in its fight against corruption in the country.  

The Namibian government said that Nigeria is leading in the fight against corruption in Africa, so it needs to share its remarkable achievements in fighting corruption.  

According to a statement cited on the commission’s website on Saturday, October 12, the partnership is aimed at “exploring training opportunities as well as sharing of expertise with personnel of the Namibian Anti-corruption Commission in the fight against corruption.” 

The statement noted that the Namibian government made the call on Friday, October 11, when its Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Humphrey Geise, paid a courtesy call to the ICPC’s headquarters, in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city.  

According to him, Nigeria occupies an exalted position in the fight against corruption in Africa and such expertise, as Nigeria possesses, needs to be shared with other African countries.  

The statement also noted that the Ambassador further revealed that Namibia also had an anti-corruption agency known as the Anti-Corruption Commission of Namibia (ACC) just as he proposed that the commission would love to learn about the success story coming from Nigeria, especially in the recovery of stolen assets by the ICPC and its sister agency, the EFCC. 

“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. 

The statement further noted that in his remarks, the ICPC Chairman, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, appreciated Geise’s presence during the launch of ICPC’s Strategic Action Plan 2024-2028, just as he reiterated that the fight against corruption on the continent cannot be fought in isolation. 

He maintained that the commission was ever ready and willing to partner with other anti-corruption bodies on the continent to stem the tide of corruption in Africa. 

He stated, “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.”