Nasarawa State Government has expressed its readiness to partner with the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to combat corruption in the country.

To this end, the state government has acceded to a request by the anti-graft agency for a parcel of land for the building of its proposed academy in the state.

Governor Aliyu Akwe Doma gave the indication last week when the chairman of ICPC, Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, paid him a courtesy call at Government House, Lafia.

Governor Doma said that the people of Nasarawa State would benefit from the citing of the ICPC academy in the state, pointing out that “government will waste no time in granting the request” made by the ICPC for a parcel of land.

According to the governor, the proposed academy, when completed, would provide jobs for the people of Nasarawa State among other benefits to be derived by the people of the state with the establishment of the academy.

The governor commended the ICPC for its relentless fight against corruption, saying “your efforts at stemming the menace of corruption deserve commendation”.

Earlier, the chairman of ICPC, Hon Justice Emmanuel Ayoola, who was represented by Ambassador Joshua Angulu, a member of the commission, said “the members of ICPC are in Lafia to request for the state government’s assistance for land to enable it build a proposed academy.”

He said the proposed academy would be used to train ICPC staff and others from crime fighting agencies in African countries.

“The commission decided that Keffi is the best suited place for the academy which will be used to train ICPC staff”, he said

In another development, Governor Alhaji Aliyu Akwe Doma of Nasarawa State has warned students to shun cultism and other vices capable of causing a setback in their educational pursuit.

Governor Doma gave the warning while addressing students and lecturers of the Federal Polytechnic Nasarawa during a workshop on “Awareness Campaign Against Cultism and other Vices,” organized by the Office of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) recently.

The governor who was represented by his special assistant on MDGs, Dr. Maikano Mohammed Ari, said, “the academic institution is a grooming ground for future leaders”.

While pointing out that schools alone cannot fight the menace of cultism, he advised parents and guardians to always keep their children under constant surveillance.

While commending the office of the MGDs for organizing the event, he said that government would always identify with MDGs and other related organizations in order to move the society forward.

Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Mr. Pious Salami, described cultism as a dreaded issue in Nigerian education system.

He said cultism posed danger in various institutions of learning across the country, urging government and other stakeholders to take urgent steps to curb the menace not only in the campuses but the society at large.

He further said that the Federal polytechnic Nasarawa would not relent in its effort to fight cultism and other vices, stating that a committee was established to ensure sanity in the institution.

In his paper presentation at the event, Mr. Toks Oluwatoki, a newspaper columnist and a former cult member, said cultism has reached a ‘worrisome proportion’ needing urgent intervention from spiritual leaders and other stakeholders.

While speaking on the formation of campus cultism in Nigerian institutions, Mr. Oluwatoki stressed the need for government to enact stringent law in order to “fight the perpetrators of cultism in our society”.