By: Alex A. Bah, Public Relations Assistant, ACC
The Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Francis Ben Kaifala Esq., has in a sophisticated and well loaded Public Lecture, thrilled students of the Institute of Public Administration and Management ( IPAM).
The Public Lecture was on the theme: Restoring Integrity in Tertiary Institutions; As a bedrock in the fight against Corruption.
Commissioner delivered this Lecture to hundreds of students who converged at the IPAM Ekundayo Building, 6th Floor, on Thursday 4th July, 2024.
In his Lecture, the Commissioner underscored that the country is challenged, because there are problematic societal values, noting that there are generally high, middle and low value societies. He advanced that, dishonesty prevails in a low value society, which makes fighting corruption a major component of a society with a low value system.
"If Sierra Leone is to change, we have to make a decision to be committed to our core values and one of them is integrity", he furthered.
He maintained that such Integrity is when one's beliefs and intentions are aligned with words and actions.
He dilated on the importance of discipline in thinking, action and people as incentives to drive positive change. This discipline he continued, can truly manifest itself into integrity by doing the right thing even when no one is watching.
Commissioner Kaifala also disclosed that one of the problems that impedes the fight against Corruption is that people are not willing to call out on Corrupt, and even when they do, they are hardly willing to support the process on to prosecution.
The Commissioner distinctively remarked that changing a Society like Sierra Leone involves two ways. These he said are either a slow and painful process within a long period beyond even our lifetime or what he described as the Cataclysmic Change that involves taking radical actions with punitive sanctions against any person.
Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Miriam Conteh Morgan expressed her delight to have the Commissioner speak about such an important subject whilst referring to Corruption as Cankerworm. She commended the students stating that they have a crucial role in fighting corruption as they represent the leaders of this nation.
She further disclosed that they have a very vibrant disciplinary Committee that does not hesitate to rusticate or expel students that engage in examination malpractices.
Dean, Faculty of Accounting and Finance, Ezekiel Duramany-Lakkoh earlier in his statement admonished the students to hone the values of integrity, noting that the knowledge in financial management and being corrupt-free is very significant. He disclosed that as much as they have a very viable Disciplinary Committee, students hardly report instances of harassment, extortion or bribery of any sort.
Dr. Lakkoh endeared the students to be bold enough to call out and prosecute colleagues or even lecturers that they believe are not doing what is right.
Earlier, Christiana Lansana, Chairperson of the event when introducing the Commissioner, described him as a beacon of hope and mark of inspiration for the future of Sierra Leone. She commended him for the great work at the Commission and urged him to keep inspiring change in the youthful majority.
The Public Lecture was organized by the Students Against Corruption (SAC-SL), a partner organiization to the ACC, to mark the launch of its IPAM Chapter.
