Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Aliyu, on Wednesday confirmed the recovery of N21bn salary fraud in a single investigation, as a result of the adoption of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
Speaking in Abuja at the 2025 National Conference on Public Accounts and Fiscal Governance organised by the Senate and House of Representatives Public Accounts Committees, the Commission’s Chairman, Dr. Aliyu, called for the establishment of a special court to prosecute economic crimes.
To close leakages and enhance transparency, he advocated for the digitisation of key government processes, including payroll, procurement, and revenue collection.
He said, “If we digitize 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 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 organizations 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.
Represented by the Director of Finance, Akporo Michael, he also threw his weight behind the fiscal policy reforms of the present administration, particularly the recent tax legislation signed into law, which he said would reposition Nigeria’s fiscal framework and significantly boost revenue mobilization.
“For the first time in our history, the government has taken the bull by the horns by reforming our tax system.
These reforms aim to increase our tax-to-GDP ratio to between 18% and 20% in the coming years,” he said, adding that this would help the country meet its growing development needs.
He said Nigeria’s low tax-to-GDP ratio of 7.8 percent is among the lowest in sub-Saharan Africa. In contrast, countries like Kenya, South Africa, and Egypt are recording double-digit ratios and reaping the benefits in infrastructural development and service delivery, he said.
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