The Edo State Government through the Office of the First Lady, has pledged to forge a strategic alliance with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), to intensify the fight against corruption and gender-based violence (GBV).
The Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady, Mrs. Edesili Okpebholo Anani, while playing host to delegates of the ICPC at the Government House in Benin City, commended the Commission for its role in advancing good governance in Edo State.
She highlighted several initiatives led by her Office, with particular focus on GBV, including intimate partner violence, describing the issue as a major priority considering its high prevalence.
As the Chairperson of the State’s GBV Committee, Mrs. Anani restated her commitment to tackling GBV and emphasised that the Office of the First Lady prioritises good governance, impact, and inclusion over ceremonial activities.
She advocated foundational ethics instruction beginning at the primary school level, to cultivate integrity and respect for hard work.
She disclosed that Edo State will launch GBV awareness clubs in secondary schools with a pilot phase before a rollout across all 18 local government areas.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner of the ICPC, Barr. Shogunle Ebenezer Adenekan, stated that preventing corruption is more effective than punishment, describing sexual harassment and abuse of office in schools and workplaces as forms of corruption arising from the misuse of entrusted power.
Adenekan noted that the Commission has invested in prevention through partnerships with non-governmental organisations to develop model anti-sexual harassment policies, with Edo State’s tertiary and secondary schools already enlisted through the Ministry of Education.
