. Mohammed Idris: Graft war must transcend arrests, prosecutions to bolstering institutions, systems capable of preventing abuse . CBN director, Sidi-Alli, wins 2026 Spokesperson of the Year award James Emejo in Abuja Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, has said anti-corruption reforms must no longer be treated merely as a law-enforcement, noting that integrity in public administration had become critical to economic stability, investment climate and development outcomes.He spoke during his keynote address at the 4th Economic Confidential Lecture and 6th National Spokespersons Awards, organised by Image Merchants Promotions Limitedin Abuja.Aliyu said linked the effectiveness of economic reforms directly to the country’s ability to reduce corruption, strengthen institutions and communicate government actions credibly.According to him, corruption undermines economic transformation by diverting public resources, weakening institutions, increasing the cost of governance, discouraging investment and eroding public confidence.Also speaking at the ocassion, Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the country’s anti-corruption campaign must move beyond arrests and prosecutions to strengthening institutions and systems capable of preventing abuse.He said corruption, economic stability and public communication were closely interconnected, noting that sustainable economic stability would remain difficult where corruption weakens institutions, distorts public expenditure and erodes public confidence.This came as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) acting Director, Corporate Communications, Hakama Sidi-Ali, was named the 2026 Spokesperson of the Year, emerging as the overall winner at the awards.Sidi-Ali clinched the top communication award ahead of other nominees at an event that recognised individuals and institutions considered to have demonstrated excellence in public communication, crisis management, media relations, digital engagement and corporate affairs.However, the ICPC chairman further disclosed that it uncovered fresh cases of payroll fraud in the public service, including an official who allegedly placed 14 members of his family on the government payroll.The commission identified another individual who allegedly enrolled his wife, children and other relatives as public servants and collected as many as 13 salaries.Aliyu said investigations into ghost workers had revealed sophisticated manipulation of government payroll systems, with individuals exploiting weaknesses in the system to divert public funds through fictitious employees.According to him, one of the cases involved an individual who enrolled 14 members of his family on the government payroll.He said, “We discovered that one person enrolled 14 members of his family. He lived in a religious hotel, a hotel at the public office, receiving salaries.”The ICPC boss said another case involved an individual who allegedly enrolled his wife, daughter, son and other relatives and received 13 salaries.He said, “Another person enrolled his wife, his daughter, his son, and others and was receiving 13 salaries.Aliyu disclosed that the commission had identified about 900 suspected ghost workers and published their names, challenging those listed to establish that they were genuine employees.He said the investigation into the suspected payroll fraud lasted about a year, during which the commission uncovered the methods allegedly used to manipulate payroll records, adding “We spent one year, one single year, on ghost workers.”According to him, some of the fraudulent entries appeared legitimate on the payroll, complete with names and email addresses, but the bank accounts attached to them belonged to different individuals.“When they insert their names, you will see their name in the payroll. You will see their email. But when you check the account number, you will see the name of the person. So, that is how these things have been done,” Aliyu added.He stressed that the financial implications of payroll fraud went beyond the immediate payment of salaries, as fictitious employees could also become beneficiaries of other government schemes.He said such fraudulent entries could translate into “ghost pension, ghost mortgage, ghost housing fund” and even fictitious health insurance benefits, further increasing the burden on public finances.The commission, he added, recovered over N24 billion in 2024 from ghost pension-related activities.He said the commission was strengthening collaboration with other government agencies while deploying preventive measures to detect and block leakages before public funds were lost.Aliyu said the ICPC was also shifting greater attention towards prevention, arguing that stopping corruption before it occurred was more effective than relying entirely on prosecution after public resources had been diverted.“
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