The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has disclosed that it has recovered the sum of N21 billion salary fraud in a single investigation.
ICPC Chairman, Dr. Musa Aliyu, who spoke in Abuja at the 2025 National Conference on Public Accounts and Fiscal Governance on Wednesday confirmed that the recovery was made through the adoption of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
Aliyu, who called for the establishment of a special court to prosecute economic crimes, advocated for the digitisation of key government processes, including payroll, procurement, and revenue collection, to close leakages and enhance transparency.
“If we digitise our systems and eliminate human discretion, we will cut out most of the corruption,” referencing international examples like Bulgaria, where procurement processes are fully transparent and publicly accessible,” he said at the even that was organised by the Senate and House of Representatives Public Accounts Committees.
He also called on lawmakers to pass a comprehensive whistleblower protection law, describing it as a vital tool to encourage citizen reporting of corruption.
He also stressed that tackling cases like the N21bn salary fraud requires more than policy declarations.
“Let it not just be policy. Let it be law, with protection and incentives for those who speak out,” he said.
In addition, he called for the establishment of special anti-corruption courts through constitutional amendment to speed up justice in corruption-related cases.
He gave a vivid account of his experience as a prosecutor, citing how some EFCC cases dated back to 2006, which the Commission is yet to secure convictions for due to endless adjournments and changes in judges.
He warned that Nigeria’s continued survival depends on the outcome of the anti-corruption fight.
“We don’t have many options, just two. It’s either we kill corruption or corruption kills us. And the choice, as they say in science, is in our hands,” he said.
He applauded the National Assembly for organising the conference and called for greater collaboration with civil society organisations and the media to deepen public accountability, educate citizens, and expose wrongdoing.
“This war is not the EFCC’s alone. It must be fought by all Nigerians. All hands must be on deck,” he said.
While calling on the National Assembly to intensify its oversight functions on revenue-generating agencies, he warned that many of these agencies operate with impunity, treating public funds as personal property.
In a bid to address the menace head-on, he advocated for stronger legislative scrutiny to ensure that all revenues collected by these agencies are duly remitted to the national coffers.
“You see, the funny thing is that these revenue-generating agencies believe the money is their own. But unfortunately, it’s not theirs. So please, intensify oversight so they’ll be held accountable and bring to the table whatever they collect,” he said.