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By Daniel Adaji
The Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Monday moved to deepen institutional cooperation in Nigeria’s anti-corruption landscape.
Both agencies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) designed to boost transparency, fiscal discipline, and coordinated enforcement.
Signed on International Anti-Corruption Day, the agreement brings both agencies into a closer working relationship that they described as timely and symbolic.
In a statement on Tuesday, The Executive Chairman of the FRC, Mr. Victor Muruako, and the Executive Chairman of the ICPC, Dr. Musa Aliyu, said they were pleased with the partnership, noting that it aligns with global expectations for accountability and integrity in public finance.
At the ceremony, the two chairmen restated their shared commitment to ensuring prudent management of national resources and tackling corruption through stronger collaboration. They said the pact reflects a renewed push to confront financial mismanagement with strategies that cut across the mandates of the two institutions.
Under the MoU, the agencies will work together in several critical areas, including capacity building, information sharing, joint investigations, asset recovery and enforcement operations. The ICPC, through the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), will provide specialised training for FRC personnel in forensic investigations, financial crime detection, digital evidence recovery and prosecution strategies. Both organisations will also exchange resource persons for workshops and public enlightenment programmes.
The agreement creates a framework for joint investigations in cases where breaches intersect with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 and the ICPC Act, 2000. It also outlines modalities for mutual assistance in tracing, freezing, confiscating and recovering stolen public funds.
On intelligence sharing, the MoU provides for confidential exchange of financial records, technical data and other information necessary for coordinated enforcement, with both sides committing to strict ethical standards and compliance with relevant laws.
According to the two agencies, the collaboration is expected to reduce institutional isolation, improve enforcement outcomes and strengthen the country’s wider anti-corruption architecture.
The document, which may be terminated with a 30-day notice by either party, marks an expanded phase of cooperation between the key accountability institutions.