NIKKI - On Wednesday May 28, 2025, the historic city of Nikki was the scene of an uncommonly intense campaign against the scourge of corruption. A delegation from the Haut-Commissariat à la Prévention de la CorruptionHCPC) led an awareness-raising day of rare intensity, successively reaching three strategic audiences: primary schoolchildren, secondary school teenagers and civil society in all its diversity. Carried out with unfailing determination, this campaign could well mark a decisive turning point in the building of a culture of integrity within this emblematic commune of the Borgou department.
- Innocence as a bulwark: schoolchildren judge corruption
At the very first light of this memorable day, the HCPC delegation, comprising the Head of the Studies, Training and Follow-up-Evaluation Department and the Good Governance, Ethics and Integrity Policy Officer, arrived at the GORI-MARO / A-B Public Primary School. Welcomed with deference by Mr. SINATOKOROGUI TONAGUI Chabi Boun, Director of Group A, and Mr. ADEGBITE Georges, Pedagogical Advisor for ZONE 1, the team witnessed a spectacle as edifying as it was unexpected.
Far from being mere passive recipients of the institutional message, the young learners demonstrated an early awareness of the issues surrounding corruption in the school environment. With confounding ingenuity, they presented a judicial sketch in which, in an improvised but nonetheless solemn children's court, they proceeded to hear fictitious characters accused of corruption, before pronouncing remarkably relevant sanctions.
This touchingly serious staging reinforced the delegation's conviction that schools must become "special training grounds for responsible citizenship from the earliest age". privileged crucibles for training in responsible citizenship from the earliest age" . A message hammered home to the educators present, guardians of these developing consciences.
- At the heart of adolescence: middle school as a laboratory of integrity
Continuing its educational mission with unshakeable determination, the delegation then headed for the Collège d'Enseignement Général 1 de NIKKI. Despite a slight setback - the session scheduled for 11 a.m. didn't actually start until 11.30 p.m. - the event was a resounding success, thanks in particular to the exemplary involvement of the school's Censor and General Supervisor.
The talk-debate that followed was the scene of intellectual exchanges of a rare density. The schoolchildren, with the ardor characteristic of their age but also with a disconcerting lucidity, not only recognized the existence of corrupt practices in their immediate environment; they vehemently denounced them. What's even more remarkable is that they have made a solemn commitment to spread the anti-corruption message to their parents and social circles, setting themselves up as true ambassadors of integrity.
Notably, the teaching staff present showed exemplary humility in recognizing the existence of behaviors conducive to the emergence and spread of the corruptive phenomenon. These educators formulated a noble and ambitious resolution to inculcate in future citizens the cardinal values of integrity, absolute probity and ethics - a triptych that is indispensable for building a truly virtuous society.
- Civil society mobilized: when Nikki puts up a united front
The high point of this marathon day was undoubtedly the awareness-raising session organized at the Maison des Jeunes at 3:30 pm. With the invaluable assistance of the TASSO district chief and the departmental coordinator - the latter speaking in the BARIBA to ensure optimum accessibility of the message - the HCPC delegation succeeded in bringing together an exceptionally diverse audience.
In this composite assembly rubbed shoulders with opinion leaders, religious authorities, crowned heads, association leaders, youth representatives, motorcycle cab drivers (commonly known as "ZEM"), craftsmen, committed women and members of the Fulani community. A microcosm of Beninese society in all its richness and complexity.
The HCPC delegation's arguments to this representative assembly were as clear as they were forceful: responsibility in the face of corruption has both an individual and a collective dimension. Every citizen, whatever his or her social position, has the power to curb this scourge, which undermines the very foundations of the Republic.
In the interests of operational efficiency, the High Commission's emissaries took care to communicate the toll-free number of the Cellule de traitement des Plaintes et Dénonciations (CPD) and the direct telephone number of the HCPC, thus offering Nikki residents concrete tools to participate actively in the fight against corruption.
- A seed of integrity in Nikki's fertile soil
This awareness-raising day, led by the HCPC delegation, is undeniably a milestone in the national anti-corruption strategy. By simultaneously targeting three distinct but complementary audiences - schoolchildren, future citizens in training; college students, at the age when convictions are forged; and civil society as a whole - this initiative demonstrates a holistic and systemic approach to the issue.
Informed observers agree that this awareness-raising campaign in Nikki could well serve as a model for similar actions across the country. The methodology employed, combining adapted teaching methods, sustained interactivity and cultural anchoring - notably through the use of the local language - bears witness to a strategic intelligence that deserves to be applauded.