100 MDAs selected through ICPC’s rigorous ethics and integrity compliance scorecard
Verbatim News Magazine has announced Tuesday, September 29, 2026, for the maiden edition of the Verbatim Annual Ethics and Integrity Awards and the official unveiling of VERBATIM 100 MOST OUTSTANDING INTEGRITY-COMPLIANT MDAs.
The landmark event will take place at the Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, with the Red Carpet scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
Organised by Verbatim News Magazine in strategic partnership with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the initiative seeks to recognise public institutions and their Chief Executives that have demonstrated strong commitment to ethics, integrity and institutional compliance.
The 100 MDAs being recognised were selected from the 2025 Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard (EICS) of the ICPC, following the Commission’s established assessment framework. The selection therefore reflects the outcome of a rigorous institutional compliance assessment rather than a subjective editorial ranking by Verbatim.
Verbatim’s recognition programme is supported by the ICPC through technical guidance and validation of the 2025 EICS data underpinning the publication and awards. The partnership provides an institutional and data-driven foundation for the recognition of the selected MDAs.
The event will also mark the public unveiling of VERBATIM 100, a new developmental journalism series conceived by Verbatim to identify, document and celebrate institutions and leaders contributing to improved governance and national development.
Unlike conventional awards programmes, the Verbatim 100 series is intended to provide sustained editorial attention to measurable institutional performance, ethical leadership and positive examples within Nigeria’s public service.
The Pillars of Integrity Awards will feature institutional recognition for the selected MDAs, alongside recognition of their Chief Executives for leadership in promoting the principles and practice of ethics and integrity in public service.
The programme is expected to attract senior government officials, heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, members of the diplomatic and business communities, civil society leaders, media executives and other stakeholders in Nigeria’s governance and accountability space.
The Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Verbatim News Magazine, Tobs Agbaegbu, said the initiative reflects the magazine’s commitment to using credible journalism not only to scrutinise public institutions, but also to identify and celebrate positive examples of leadership and institutional excellence.
“Integrity must be recognised, documented and encouraged. Through the Verbatim 100 series, we want to demonstrate that ethical leadership and institutional excellence deserve the same public attention that we routinely give to failure and misconduct,” Agbaegbu said.
The September 29 event will consequently serve as both an awards ceremony and the launch of a continuing editorial platform designed to spotlight institutions and leaders whose performance demonstrates that integrity and effective public administration can produce measurable results.
Verbatim News Magazine invites members of the media, public institutions and other stakeholders to join the magazine on September 29, 2026, at the Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, for the unveiling of the VERBATIM 100 series and the presentation of the Pillars of Integrity Awards.
