According to economic watchers, corruption is endemic in Nigeria and cuts
across every sector of the economy. Corruption has remained the recurring
hindrance against good governance, which has been responsible for
infrastructural deficits and the general public services delivery decay in
Nigeria since independence. For instance, an estimated $400bn of oil revenue
has been stolen or misspent since Nigeria’s independence in 1960.
“Corruption in Nigeria is not just endemic, but has become institutionalised.
Until the country gets serious about strengthening its institutions, especially
in key areas of the economy, this is unlikely to change,” says Lanre Akinola,
former editor of the Financial Times’s publication ‘This Is Africa’.
Successive governments even before the return to democracy in 1999 have
attempted to fight corruption, with varying degrees of success.
When on December 31, 1983, Muhammadu Buhari’s military government overthrew
the regime of President Shehu Shagari, it detained most political leaders of
the Second Republic, accusing them of indiscipline and profligacy.
For the first time in Nigerian history, the country’s security organizations
were actively used to track down alleged acts of corruption through the Special
Investigation Bureau preparatory to formal military style trials at Bonny Camp.
As had been the initial practice by various prior military regimes, special
asset recovery military tribunals were set up all over the country. The Buhari
regime also purged the uppermost echelon of the Armed Forces, retiring all
officers of the rank of Major General equivalent or above at the time of the
coup.
A “War Against Indiscipline” (WAI) was launched. Such indiscipline was
interpreted broadly to mean lack of environmental cleanliness, lack of manners
(such as failing to take one’s place in queues), corruption, smuggling,
desecration of the flag and disloyalty to the anthem.
On Tuesday August 27, 1985, Major General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida took
over power from Buhari. The administration didn’t make any significant attempts
to fight corrupt politicians; but the late General Sani Abacha’s regime which
later succeeded the Babangida government, jailed many bank executives.
The bank officials, including former heads of some of Nigeria’s largest
banks, were imprisoned for alleged banking malpractices.
At the return of democracy in 1999, former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s
administration also instituted a coordinated fight against corruption. The
creation of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2003 by
Obasanjo, gave his administration a strong anti-graft posture. But Obasanjo’s
grip over the organisation turned the agency into another tool of maintaining
and exerting influence and power.
However, the EFCC during the Obasanjo administration, led by nonconformist
crime fighter Nuhu Ribadu, managed to prosecute and convict a number of high
profile corrupt individuals, including a former Inspector General of Police,
ministers, bank chief executives and state governors.
The anti-corruption momentum began to wane under the stewardship of Umaru
Musa Yar’Adua, who would allow his government to be infiltrated by powerful and
corrupt elements who demanded he turn a blind eye to graft and water down the
EFCC as payback for their political support in the 2007 elections.
The administration of Goodluck Jonathan fared no better as it was engulfed
in numerous scandals, including the $8bn fuel subsidy overpayments in 2012 and
the unremitted funds to the state coffers by the Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation, which former Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi estimated at
$20bn. Both were seamlessly swept under the carpet, with the EFCC’s
effectiveness in securing high profile convictions of society’s ‘big men’
becoming non-existent.
The emergence of Muhammadu Buhari on March 28, 2015 as President of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria came with a lot of hopes and expectations. His
administration is seen by many as one that will usher in a new dawn in the
political and economic life of Nigeria. The aura of incorruptibility has
continued to favour him in the eyes of Nigerians and the international
community.
Buhari was voted into office to, even if he fails to achieve any other
thing, deal a lethal blow to the nation’s corruption levels. Many believe that
Nigeria needs a man of his standing to change the attitude of politicians,
businessmen and the general populace. Buhari, a known anti-corruption crusader,
will need to stem the tide of graft and change the nation’s mentality towards
corruption if he is to achieve the desired results and legitimacy his
government needs.
Apart from corruption, deficient infrastructure and a sharp economic
downturn occasioned by the fall in oil prices have made President Buhari’s task
of salvaging Nigeria a more arduous one.
In a recent meeting with APC governors and at other fora, Buhari had
reiterated his campaign promise that he will recover billions of dollars worth
of stolen funds, within and outside the country. He had also spoken boldly of
the United States and the international community’s offer of assistance in
achieving this objective.
President Buhari seems to be keeping to his promises since action has began
to be directed towards the country’s biggest issue - corruption.
The present administration had been investigating some activities of
Jonathan’s administration with government officials, claiming that the past
administration was characterised by impunity and large scale corruption.
Apart from probing the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, the present
administration is also beaming its searchlight on the management of the Excess
Crude Account under Jonathan.
Some former aides of the ex-President such as his National Security Adviser,
Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.); his Chief Security Officer, Mr. Gordon Obuah; and
the former Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety
Agency, Dr. Patrick Akpobolokemi, have either been arrested, detained or
investigated.
Buhari had on Tuesday in Abuja said that the prosecution of persons who have
stolen national resources will begin in a matter of weeks.
Speaking at a meeting with members of the National Peace Committee led by
Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar in the Presidential Villa, President Buhari declared
that his administration was irrevocably committed to doing all within its
powers to break the vicious cycle of corruption, unemployment and insecurity in
Nigeria.
“Nigeria has to break this vicious cycle before we can make progress,” the
President said, adding that his administration was diligently getting facts and
figures pertaining to the nation’s stolen funds, before proceeding to the
prosecution of identified culprits.
He told General Abdulsalami and members of his committee that the Federal
Government, under his leadership, will not only ask for the return of
stolen funds that have been stashed in foreign banks, but will also
ensure that those who stole the funds are put on trial in Nigeria.
The President also said that as part of its actions to address the national
problems it inherited, his administration was reorganising Nigeria’s revenue
generating institutions.
The President further explained that a single treasury account had been
established for all Federal revenue to ensure greater probity, transparency and
accountability in the collection, disbursement and utilisation of national
funds.
“As Petroleum Minister under Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo in the 1970s, I
could not travel abroad until I had taken a memo to the Federal Executive
Council asking for estacode. Now, everybody does what he wants.
“That is why security-wise and economically, we’re in trouble,” adding that
those who have stolen the national wealth “will be in court in a matter of
weeks and Nigerians will know those who have short-changed them.”
The general support shown by Nigerians towards the current fight against
corruption is overwhelming, even though they are divided on whether the probe
should be extended beyond Jonathan’s administration or not.
Much as Nigerians welcome and appreciate Buhari’s determination to rescue
this country from the cobweb of corruption for which it has for years been
entangled, the position of his government to limit her planned probe to the
immediate past administration of Goodluck Jonathan alone did not go down well
with some Nigerians.
It is the view of many that probing Jonathan’s administration alone will
amount to witch-hunt while it will also portray Buhari as a vindictive person
who is given to vendetta.
For instance, the Centre for Social Justice urged the federal government to
extend its corruption probe beyond the administration of former President
Goodluck Jonathan. Reacting to reports that President Buhari will limit his
probe to the past administration, the Lead Director, CSJ, Eze Oyekpere, said it
would be unfair to streamline corruption probes to only officials in the
Jonathan government.
He stressed that there were some unscrupulous deals conducted by previous
governments that were still fresh in the minds of Nigerians.
He said, “I take a holistic view about recovering public properties that
were stolen and mismanaged. For instance, the Halliburton issue, the Siemens
scandal did not just come up under the last administration. And those things
are too recent for us to forget them. So I believe that he (Buhari) shouldn’t
simply draw a line and say it is going to be from 2011 or from 2010, no.
“He should go back a little bit, even the power scandal that involves an
expenditure of over $15bn where we can’t see the results up till today. He
should go back a little bit, it shouldn’t be about Jonathan’s administration
viz-a-viz PDP, APC, no. It should have been about our national interest and
some of these issues are too recent in our memories for us to sweep them under
the carpet.”
On May 27, less than 48 hours to the end of his tenure, Jonathan had advised
Buhari not to single out his administration in any probe.
He said all those advising Buhari to probe his administration must also
advise him to extend his probe beyond his regime or else, the probe will be
seen as witch-hunting.
Jonathan said, “Some people are even calling for the probe of this
government. I agree that in Nigeria, there are a number of things that we will
probe, many things.
“Even debts owed by states and this nation from 1960 up to this time, they
are saying it is Jonathan’s administration that is owing all the debts. I
believe that anybody calling for probe must ensure that these probes are
extended beyond the Jonathan administration, otherwise to me, it will be
witch-hunting”.
In a related development, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev.
Matthew Hassan-Kukah said that too much talk about probe is a distraction to
the Buhari government. The spokesman of the General Abdulsalami Abubakar-led
National Peace Committee had advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to be
distracted from the core business of governance on account of too much talk
about probe.
Speaking recently after a meeting between the committee and the Speaker of
the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, Kukah said though bringing
treasury looters to book was important, government must place premium on
providing the desired governance.
The bishop acknowledged the damaging effect of corruption on the country,
stressing that it has set the nation backward on all fronts. However, he emphasized
that it is also necessary that Nigerians including those in power do not get
distracted from the core mandate of governance and the contributions of former
President Goodluck Jonathan to the sustenance of peace which the country is
enjoying today.
According to him, “There is no such thing as probe in a democratic setting
like ours. What obtains is investigation, and once people lead and things are
not right, investigation becomes necessary.
“However, in doing that, we must never be distracted from the spectacular
actions undertaken by former President Jonathan. He is an individual. I think
this whole thing about probe can be ascertained once investigations are
concluded. But we are saying that a lot of talks and speculation about this
probe are the distractions nobody needs. So, the most important thing is that
we need a stable country first, before we can talk about these things. And they
will have happened down the line”.
Recent high profile visits of past leaders and the private meeting between President
Buhari and former President Goodluck Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja,
also had Nigerians thinking.
According to reports, the meeting was at the instance of the 2015 Elections
Peace Committee, after former President Jonathan complained that President
Buhari was not sticking to the peace accord they signed.
Jonathan was reported to have also sought for understanding on alleged
corrupt practices and mismanagement of funds under his administration, with a
source saying the former President claimed he was hearing about some of the
graft allegations for the first time.
The report however claimed that President Buhari reportedly insisted that
all looted funds must be returned to the nation’s coffers, adding that the
President also restated his pledge that Jonathan had nothing to fear at all.
A day after Jonathan’s visit, Buhari also played host to former President
Olusegun Obasanjo. But unlike Jonathan’s visit which was not made public, one
of the photographers attached to the President was able to capture the two
leaders. It was gathered that the two leaders discussed a number of national
issues and Obasanjo offered his advice to Buhari.
However, it was not clear whether the two visits were connected.
The question in the lips of most Nigerians is whether Buhari will sustain
the perceived political will to depart from the antecedents of past presidents
and unleash a full-scale clean-up campaign of corrupt institutions and their
proprietors. Political analysts fear that, a deep cleanup of the nation’s
eroded moral fabric will surely unearth various scandals and will make the
president some powerful enemies, even within his own party, the APC.
No doubt President Muhammadu Buhari has what it takes to fight corruption;
being the reason why Nigerians overwhelmingly voted for him as a man of
impeccable character. And like most people have reasoned, if Buhari cannot
successfully fight corruption, then we should see it as an intractable disease
that has come to stay with us.
http://weekend.peoplesdailyng.com/index.php/news/cover-news/6921-long-walk-to-nigeria-s-anti-corruption-war
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