Buoyed by its ranking as Nigeria’s top-performing organization in efficiency and transparency from 2022 to date, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has unveiled plans to commemorate the 2024 World Anti-Corruption Day on December 5th at the Nigerian Content Tower, Bayelsa State.
The theme of this year’s celebration, according to the agency’s spokesperson, is “Effective Whistleblowers Protection Mechanism: A Critical Tool in the Fight against Corruption.” The event at the NCDMB is being organized by the agency’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACTU), led by the Director of Monitoring and Evaluation, Mr. Abdulmalik Halilu.
According to the program of events, the day will feature a workshop, including paper presentations by representatives of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and key officials of the Board.
Another highlight of the day will be the grand finale of the debate competition among six federal government colleges from the six geopolitical zones of the country, along with a representative from Bayelsa State, which automatically qualifies as the host state of the NCDMB.
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The selected schools are:
- Federal Government College, Odi, Bayelsa State
- Federal Government College, Okigwe, Imo State
- Federal Government College, Warri, Delta State
- Federal Government Girls College, Kazaure, Jigawa State
- Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos State
- Federal Government College, Maiduguri, Borno State
- Federal Government College, Rubochi, Abuja
The spokesperson of the NCDMB stated that two students, accompanied by an adult from each school, will be camped in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, by the NCDMB for four days, during which preliminary debates will be held to determine the two best teams.
“The debate, whose finale is to be held at the magnificent 17-story Nigerian Content Tower (NCT), Yenagoa, is being organized to instill the ethics of transparency and public interest in Nigerian students,” the spokesperson explained. The event aims to “promote critical thinking, research, and public speaking skills” among young Nigerians, a group regarded as potential future leaders of thought and industry in the country. It also seeks to “encourage students to engage with complex issues that underline good governance and democracy in Nigeria.” Prizes will be awarded to the winners.
The organizers indicated that the day is being marked at the NCDMB to sensitize staff on the need to eschew corrupt practices in their daily operations and to emphasize that achieving responsive governance in Nigeria depends on capacity building, effective leadership, and deliberate citizen engagement through interest articulation and aggregation.
