ICPC Identifies Poor Funding As Challenge To Prosecuting Corruption Cases

Ekpo Nta, Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has revealed that the Commission was prosecuting over 400 corruption-related cases in various courts across the country but the process was slow due to poor funding and slow judicial system. The ICPC Chairman who appeared before the Senator Chukwuka Utazi-led Senate committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes urged the National Assembly to look into its funding, since the cases of corrupt practices is on the rise in the country. Mr. Ekpo stated: “90 per cent of the agency’s budget was spent annually on prosecution, while only 10 per cent was expended on prevention; even the existing structure was unproductive and was not in consonance with the recommendations of the United Nations (UN). “60 per cent ought to have been spent on prevention, as against the current practice, the inability of anti-corruption agencies in the country to successfully carryout their functions on non-availability of adequate budgetary provisions by previous governments. “Most of the time, we talk about corruption. No one spends time to talk about anti-corruption. There is a clear distinction between corruption and other financial crimes. When we were sworn in, I was being abused on a daily basis on the pages of national newspapers because of my approach to fighting corruption. “Our budgetary provisions every year have always been on fighting corruption. Only 10 per cent is budgeted for prevention. Corruption is a transnational issue. It goes beyond Nigeria. People did not know that we had about 400 cases going on at the beginning of the year. We had to place an advertisement for Nigerians to know what is happening.”