report on the role of the government in
the proliferation of corruption in Nigeria
offers a fresh and undeniable insight
into why graft is so deeply entrenched
in the Nigerian system. If the
government that should stamp out
corruption is now actively protecting
corrupt individuals, then no amount of
posturing will produce results.
In a detailed and frank
assessment that could only be
described as stating the obvious,
the report, entitled, "Corruption
and Lack of Transparency in
Government," confirmed the
often-stated view that the efforts
of the anti-graft agencies are
deliberately stymied by the
government [of Goodluck
Jonathan]. The allegation of
deliberately emasculating the
anti-corruption agencies brings to
mind reports last year in which
the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission confessed that it was
broke.
The US report said, in Nigeria,
"Massive, widespread and
pervasive corruption affected all
levels of government and the
security forces." While alleging
that judges were not left out of
the massive corruption ring, the
report accused the Jonathan
government of not implementing
the law on corruption effectively,
thus deliberately allowing
"officials (to) frequently engage in
corrupt practices with impunity."
These are, possibly, what the
Speaker of the House of
Representatives, Aminu
Tambuwal, saw when he cried out
that the President's "body
language" encouraged
corruption...
In one of such reports, the EFCC
Secretary, Emmanuel Adegboyega, told
the Senate Committee on Drugs,
Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-
Corruption in December last year, "We
(EFCC) have been complaining that no
money has been released to us for
operations. As of now, we don't have
up to N2 million. If we can afford to pay
salaries this month that is all." For an
agency whose functions are defined by
the number of arrests and prosecution
of corrupt individuals across the
country, how can those functions be
effectively discharged without money
for legal fees and travel expenses? How
can they be motivated if salaries are
not paid?
Interestingly, one of the other cases of
corrupt practices the US report cited
was the curious state pardon granted a
former Bayelsa State governor, Diepriye
Alamieyeseigha. Aside from his
conviction for treasury looting and
money laundering, Alamieyeseigha, who
is still a wanted person in the United
Kingdom, served time in Nigeria and
also had his tenure as governor
truncated, paving the way for Jonathan,
then his deputy, to replace him . The
state pardon implies that the former
governor, who, as an ex-convict, could
not occupy public office, whether
appointive or elective, can now do so.
Indeed, Jonathan has nominated him to
the ongoing National Conference. That
is a dangerous signal to the outside
world for a government that professes
commitment to fighting corruption.
In a similar damning report last year,
the then US Ambassador to Nigeria,
Terence McCulley, reportedly told the
Nigerian government to demonstrate
more courage and conviction in its
crusade against graft, insisting that it
was the only way to "send a clear signal
that the country is indeed committed to
good governance, to the security of its
citizens, and to its rightful place as a
significant actor on the global stage."
Unfortunately, corruption has been
identified as the major reason for the
arrested development in the country. It
is responsible for reduced public
spending, which results in huge
infrastructure deficits, especially poor
roads, lack of electricity, inadequately-
equipped hospitals and low quality of
education. It is also fingered in the
pervasive insecurity in the country, low
quality of governance and general poor
standard of living.
Under the current administration,
corruption has become particularly
daring, even more than anytime before.
Even when the President stated clearly
his readiness to fight corruption, the
government had been less than
convincing in its manner of handling
corruption cases. For instance, after
ordering a series of probes into stolen
oil subsidy money in which the country
lost more than N2 trillion, an amount
far in excess of Nigeria's capital budget
for this year, nobody has been
convicted more than two years after.
Faced with brazen and self-evident
corruption case in the purchase of two
cars for N255 million for a former
Aviation Minister, Stella Oduah, it still
took the President four months to
reluctantly ask her to resign. He initially
set up a committee to investigate a
straightforward case, apparently to find
a way to avoid sacking the minister.
Indeed, the US report went far, but
only to the extent of the period it
covered, which was 2013. Since the
beginning of this year, there have been
allegations of missing funds, meant for
the Federation Account, and for further
distribution among federal, state and
local governments. But, for alleging that
about $12 billion – later $20 billion –
had not been accounted for, the
Central Bank Governor, Lamido Sanusi,
was placed on suspension and a forensic
audit ordered later. Why the hurry in
suspending the CBN governor instead
of investigating his allegations first? The
government says the suspension will
pave the way for the investigation of
allegations of financial recklessness
against the CBN governor.
Although both the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation and the
government said only $10.8 billion was
unaccounted for, it is still a huge sum of
money. Only a fraction of that money
can build the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway,
the East-West Road and the Second
Niger Bridge. It is money that could
have staved off the prolonged
university teachers' strike that nearly
cost the institutions a full academic
session.
However, if we have a government that
is responsive to constructive criticism –
a government that means well for the
people – the report is an opportunity
for the Goodluck Jonathan
Administration to act by taking firm,
honest and decisive steps to rid Nigeria
of the perennial tag of one of the
world's most corrupt nations.
The government owes the people a
duty to tackle corruption boldly by
adequately funding the EFCC and the
Independent Corrupt Practices and
Other Related Offences Commission.
Besides, corrupt individuals should
never be allowed to go scot-free; that is
the only way to stem the tide of
impunity in the country.
Source: Punch Editorial
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