The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Adamu Aliyu, has charged Nigerian law students to anchor their careers on integrity, warning that legal knowledge without strong moral values can serve injustice rather than nation building. He gave the charge while delivering the keynote address at the Dean's Parley organised by the Faculty of Law, Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, where students, lecturers, and legal professionals gathered under the theme, "Raising the Next Generation of Anti Corruption Advocates in Nigeria."

Aliyu described corruption as one of the greatest obstacles to national development, stressing that countries that confront it decisively stand better positioned for sustainable growth. He referenced findings from the 2025/2026 Commonwealth Africa Anti Corruption Centre survey, which identified corruption as a major development challenge across 14 African countries, attributing greed and the absence of integrity as its leading causes.

Addressing the students directly, the ICPC boss maintained that the legal profession demands more than academic excellence. "Legal knowledge is morally neutral," he remarked, explaining that it is the values of those who hold it that determine whether it defends corruption or upholds justice. To illustrate the consequences of corruption, he pointed to court cases including the diversion of funds from the Nigerian Police Pension Scheme and the abandoned Goodluck Jonathan Legacy Model Housing Estate project, where millions of dollars were reportedly disbursed without a single housing unit completed, arguing such cases show how corruption deprives citizens of essential services and weakens public institutions.

He urged students to reject examination malpractice, bribery, and every form of academic dishonesty, noting that integrity begins long before entering the courtroom, and encouraged lecturers to treat character development as central to legal education. Aliyu disclosed ongoing collaboration between the Commission and the Nigerian Law School to strengthen anti corruption education under the National Anti Corruption Strategy.

Vice Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Professor Hakeem Babatunde, noted that corruption within higher education often manifests through examination malpractice, plagiarism, cultism, and sexual harassment, and urged students to report misconduct through established University channels. Other speakers, including Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Muhammad Umaru Ndagi and Dean of the Faculty of Law, Professor Uwakwe Abugu, stressed that universities must produce graduates whose integrity matches their academic qualifications.