By Raji Rasak
Lagos – The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Tuesday urged youths in Students Anti-Corruption Clubs (SACs) to protect their integrity from tender age.
Mr Shintema Binga, the ICPC Zonal Commissioner for South-West, gave the advice at the ongoing Inauguration and Revitalisation of SACs in Secondary Schools in Lagos.
Theme of the event is: “Anti-Corruption Club as the Vehicle for Building a Culture of Integrity among the Youths.”
According to Binga, the first thing that can stop youths from becoming what they want to become is themselves and the second is corruption.
He urged youths to stay away from examination malpractices, saying that if they were caught in the act, the penalty was 25 years imprisonment.
Binga advised them that as SACs members, they should not keep quiet when things were going bad in the society or their schools.
The commissioner said that the programme was to revitalise the existing clubs to make them work again.
“The commission saw the need to bring the students from different secondary schools together and now revitalise them so that they can function better.
“Our plan is to catch them from tender age so that they can be able to act with integrity, face the society without going into criminal activities.
“So, we are hoping that with these activities in place, the anti-corruption club will be able to move into schools.
“These students will be able to come up and take active steps to make sure that corruption is not allowed to take place in their schools.
“In fact, the good news is that we have a situation in which children are telling their parents at home that corruption is bad.
“So, in the next two to three years, we are hoping that more of our youths will be going into the society free without involving in any forms of corruption,” Binga said.
He commended the efforts of Youth Alive Foundation (YAF) by providing funding for the inauguration.
Speaking, Mr Omololu Akinwande, the Coordinator, Children Anti-Corruption Initiative (CACTI), said youths involved in SACs should count themselves lucky to represent their schools and Lagos State.
Akinwande urged youths to be battle ready to fight corruption with their eyes, ears and hands.
The coordinator urged the commission to set up special unit to fight the menace of “yahoo boys’’ in the country.
“There is a menace in the society called `Yahoo Boys’; there is no area in the country that you won’t find them. They are evil; they use human beings for money making.
“There is need for the commission to set up special unit to deal with this evil now,” he said.
Mrs Aganga Williams, a Director in the Lagos State Ministry of Education, urged youths to prepare for change as they embrace the club.
According to Williams, we are all bound to change in life because it is only change that is permanent.
She urged the teachers to be role models to the students in their schools.
Also, Mr Waheed Ishola, the Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), said that he was happy to see school children battle ready to chase corruption out of the country.
Ishola commended the organiser of the programme, urging youths to spread the message to other schools around them.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that schools that participated in the inauguration were Kings College, Igbosere; Yabatech Secondary School, Yaba; Dominion College, Alimosho; The African Church Model College, Ifako-Agege.
Others were Pacey Manuel College, Abule-Egba; Aladura Comprehensive College; Ogunsanwo Memorial College, Iju, Lagos and Lagos African Church Grammar School, Ifako. (NAN)
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