Tag: anti-corruption war

Surely, the ripple effect of the recent reckless comment made by David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, who described Nigeria as “fantastically corrupt”, is still smouldering. Like I said last week, Cameron’s comment was not totally off the mark, except that as a man occupying such a sensitive position, he could have been more circumspect. Anyway, as they say, truth is bitter. Now we know that we have a lot more to do to erase the ugly perception that Nigeria is a country where anything goes. It is not Buhari’s job to do alone. It is for all of us to change the current maggoty destiny of this country and create a new image altogether.

So, who is really fighting corruption? And who are those sustaining corruption in the country? Although this piece is about corruption, our other security agencies who should be working in synergy with the anti-graft agencies have not fared better. They have often been found amazingly wanting. Recently, the Department of State Security, DSS, cried blue murder and came up with the dangerous insinuation that five Fulani herdsmen were killed and buried in a shallow grave somewhere in a south eastern state. I do not know the rationale in making such an explosive and uncharitable statement in a country where brothers go for one another’s jugular at the slightest provocation.

The DSS said a total of 50 shallow graves were discovered. How the DSS was able to identify five of the graves as containing the remains of Fulani herdsmen is still baffling to many. Perhaps, those at the helm of affairs at the DSS now are ignorant of the pogrom that preceded the nation’s 30-month civil war between 1967 and 1970. At any rate, that official indiscretion by the DSS must have set the stage or laid the foundation for the massacre that later took place in Nimbo community in Enugu State, where several innocent people were slaughtered in cold blood and many houses razed by supposed Fulani marauders.

Anyway, back on track, Nigerians are happy that the bad eggs amongst us are gradually being exposed. In other words, now that the chickens are coming home to roost, the talk everywhere is that this corruption war is politically motivated because only members of a particular political group are being harassed by the anti-graft agencies. I know that some people have said that it appears to be so because the PDP was the party that called the shots in the last 16 years. But even at that, it does not mean that the other parties are constituted by angels. Some of their members’ antecedents are well known and documented in the public domain. So, if the corruption war must be waged, it must be total and entire. Otherwise, we may end up scorching the snake and not actually killing it.

Agreed, the President is determined to fight corruption with all the ammunitions at his disposal, but the sad thing is that he seems to be alone in this battle to get rid of corruption in the country. Right now, there are glaring indications that some of the people in the president’s camp may not be comfortable with his stance on corruption. It is obvious that some of them are eager to make money too to line their pockets for the advancement of their political ambitions. It is either they cannot get the president’s ear or he has not looked in their direction in terms of appointment of their cronies to juicy offices. Such disgruntled elements are believed to be working clandestinely to undermine the President. Whenever they find it convenient, they have criticised the President’s style of governance using some fronts. Some may have even chosen to take the war against the president to some international fora for maximum effects.

The controversy that trailed the 2016 budget is a clear signal that corruption is alive at the highest level of governance in Nigeria. Those who smuggled items and money into the bill knew what they were doing. Of course, that was not the first time the budget was being padded by ministry and budget officials as well as members of the National Assembly, particularly members of the appropriation committees of both houses. In the first instance, some of those (dis)honourable members of the National Assembly got there after running down the finances of their states and ministries.

As for the National Assembly, it is obvious that the members are not on the same page with the president in the war against corruption. There seems to be confusion within the ranks of the APC members in both houses of the National Assembly, but the division or schism is more pronounced in the Senate. It was that lack of cohesion and understanding that created a yawning gap and prepared the ground for both Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, a PDP senator, to emerge Senate President and Deputy President respectively in June last year. The APC that has a slim majority over the PDP in the Senate has never recovered from the shock and trauma of losing the leadership of the Senate to entirely a new comer and a member of the opposition party. All attempts to dislodge the duo from their thrones have not produced the desired result. Instead, both Saraki and Ekweremadu have dug in and are still calling the shots.

This is in spite of the case involving Saraki, who is facing charges of non-disclosure of assets before the Code of Conduct Tribunal sitting in Abuja. As bad as the case is, Saraki has continued to enjoy the support of his colleagues who appear to be solidly united behind him. Any day he appears in court, he is closely followed by a retinue of senators who have made it a duty to rally round him in his hour of trial. To these senators, they are not in the least bothered by the negative public perception that has trailed their presence at the CCT proceedings. It is very clear that the senators are alienated from the very public they claim to be serving. They are also daily distancing themselves from the vision and aspirations of the Buhari administration especially the war on corruption the administration is waging relentlessly with vigour.

Furthermore, the recent fuel price hike, the scarce foreign exchange and the high cost of living, have all combined to depress Nigerians. The situation is so bad that today, Nigerians have almost lost hope in their country and their leaders. They may be right. Since the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo introduced some belt-tightening measures in 1976, the poor masses have always been called upon to make sacrifices while the privileged few who are neck-deep in the cesspit of corruption are living in opulence.

In addition, the killings and kidnappings that are simultaneously going on in many parts of the country, as well as the current indiscriminate bombing of oil pipelines by hoodlums in the Niger Delta, have reached an alarming proportion. When you analyse all these unfortunate scenarios, you will discover that corruption is at the very root of all the confusion in the country.  Corruption in Nigeria is fantastically pervasive. It has almost ruined the country. Certainly, Nigerians are eager to see the change they voted for. Therefore, the Buhari administration will need to quickly go back to the drawing board and come up with a good strategy to bring succour to the suffering and suffocating Nigerians. urely, the ripple effect of the recent reckless comment made by David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, who described Nigeria as “fantastically corrupt”, is still smouldering. Like I said last week, Cameron’s comment was not totally off the mark, except that as a man occupying such a sensitive position, he could have been more circumspect. Anyway, as they say, truth is bitter. Now we know that we have a lot more to do to erase the ugly perception that Nigeria is a country where anything goes. It is not Buhari’s job to do alone. It is for all of us to change the current maggoty destiny of this country and create a new image altogether.

So, who is really fighting corruption? And who are those sustaining corruption in the country? Although this piece is about corruption, our other security agencies who should be working in synergy with the anti-graft agencies have not fared better. They have often been found amazingly wanting. Recently, the Department of State Security, DSS, cried blue murder and came up with the dangerous insinuation that five Fulani herdsmen were killed and buried in a shallow grave somewhere in a south eastern state. I do not know the rationale in making such an explosive and uncharitable statement in a country where brothers go for one another’s jugular at the slightest provocation.

The DSS said a total of 50 shallow graves were discovered. How the DSS was able to identify five of the graves as containing the remains of Fulani herdsmen is still baffling to many. Perhaps, those at the helm of affairs at the DSS now are ignorant of the pogrom that preceded the nation’s 30-month civil war between 1967 and 1970. At any rate, that official indiscretion by the DSS must have set the stage or laid the foundation for the massacre that later took place in Nimbo community in Enugu State, where several innocent people were slaughtered in cold blood and many houses razed by supposed Fulani marauders.

Anyway, back on track, Nigerians are happy that the bad eggs amongst us are gradually being exposed. In other words, now that the chickens are coming home to roost, the talk everywhere is that this corruption war is politically motivated because only members of a particular political group are being harassed by the anti-graft agencies. I know that some people have said that it appears to be so because the PDP was the party that called the shots in the last 16 years. But even at that, it does not mean that the other parties are constituted by angels. Some of their members’ antecedents are well known and documented in the public domain. So, if the corruption war must be waged, it must be total and entire. Otherwise, we may end up scorching the snake and not actually killing it.

Agreed, the President is determined to fight corruption with all the ammunitions at his disposal, but the sad thing is that he seems to be alone in this battle to get rid of corruption in the country. Right now, there are glaring indications that some of the people in the president’s camp may not be comfortable with his stance on corruption. It is obvious that some of them are eager to make money too to line their pockets for the advancement of their political ambitions. It is either they cannot get the president’s ear or he has not looked in their direction in terms of appointment of their cronies to juicy offices. Such disgruntled elements are believed to be working clandestinely to undermine the President. Whenever they find it convenient, they have criticised the President’s style of governance using some fronts. Some may have even chosen to take the war against the president to some international fora for maximum effects.

The controversy that trailed the 2016 budget is a clear signal that corruption is alive at the highest level of governance in Nigeria. Those who smuggled items and money into the bill knew what they were doing. Of course, that was not the first time the budget was being padded by ministry and budget officials as well as members of the National Assembly, particularly members of the appropriation committees of both houses. In the first instance, some of those (dis)honourable members of the National Assembly got there after running down the finances of their states and ministries.

As for the National Assembly, it is obvious that the members are not on the same page with the president in the war against corruption. There seems to be confusion within the ranks of the APC members in both houses of the National Assembly, but the division or schism is more pronounced in the Senate. It was that lack of cohesion and understanding that created a yawning gap and prepared the ground for both Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu, a PDP senator, to emerge Senate President and Deputy President respectively in June last year. The APC that has a slim majority over the PDP in the Senate has never recovered from the shock and trauma of losing the leadership of the Senate to entirely a new comer and a member of the opposition party. All attempts to dislodge the duo from their thrones have not produced the desired result. Instead, both Saraki and Ekweremadu have dug in and are still calling the shots.

This is in spite of the case involving Saraki, who is facing charges of non-disclosure of assets before the Code of Conduct Tribunal sitting in Abuja. As bad as the case is, Saraki has continued to enjoy the support of his colleagues who appear to be solidly united behind him. Any day he appears in court, he is closely followed by a retinue of senators who have made it a duty to rally round him in his hour of trial. To these senators, they are not in the least bothered by the negative public perception that has trailed their presence at the CCT proceedings. It is very clear that the senators are alienated from the very public they claim to be serving. They are also daily distancing themselves from the vision and aspirations of the Buhari administration especially the war on corruption the administration is waging relentlessly with vigour.

Furthermore, the recent fuel price hike, the scarce foreign exchange and the high cost of living, have all combined to depress Nigerians. The situation is so bad that today, Nigerians have almost lost hope in their country and their leaders. They may be right. Since the military regime of General Olusegun Obasanjo introduced some belt-tightening measures in 1976, the poor masses have always been called upon to make sacrifices while the privileged few who are neck-deep in the cesspit of corruption are living in opulence.

In addition, the killings and kidnappings that are simultaneously going on in many parts of the country, as well as the current indiscriminate bombing of oil pipelines by hoodlums in the Niger Delta, have reached an alarming proportion. When you analyse all these unfortunate scenarios, you will discover that corruption is at the very root of all the confusion in the country.  Corruption in Nigeria is fantastically pervasive. It has almost ruined the country. Certainly, Nigerians are eager to see the change they voted for. Therefore, the Buhari administration will need to quickly go back to the drawing board and come up with a good strategy to bring succour to the suffering and suffocating Nigerians.

It was strange but not totally new. And when it happened last week, all hell was let loose by concerned Nigerians. A television station in the United Kingdom had aired the transcript of what appeared to be an “official gossip” involving David Cameron, the British Prime Minister who was caught on camera, at a dinner where he labelled Nigeria and Afghanistan as two “fatalistically corrupt” countries.

Before Cameron’s mouth diarrhoea, a British tabloid had also run a story that was calculated to rubbish the anti-corruption credentials of President Muhammadu Buhari. The story had pointed accusing fingers at Buhari and his family which the paper described as living in opulence, with his children attending expensive schools in London and flying in first class compartments of aircrafts while the ordinary Nigerian is barely eking out a living.

While the dust raised by the tabloid was still simmering, the British Prime Minister rubbed salt on the injury. His unfortunate statement came on the heels of last Thursday’s anti-corruption conference which was hosted by the British government where Nigeria’s President and a number of other leaders met to strategise on ways to end the scourge of corruption now ravaging everywhere.

Expectedly, Cameron’s comment attracted wide outrage with some accusing him of not being a saint himself as revealed in the now famous Panama Papers. However, in spite of Cameron’s undiplomatic tantrums, Buhari was unruffled as he threw a direct jab at Cameron whom he pointedly told to double up efforts to return Nigeria’s stolen assets and wealth now domiciled in the Britain and other parts of the world.

The Nigerian President was right. The United Kingdom is one of the most favoured destinations by corrupt Nigerian officials to hide funds stolen from the country’s treasury. And as these stolen funds trickle into the British economy, no concerted effort is made by the British government to question the source or legitimacy of these funds even when it is very clear that the funds are proceeds of corruption. Unfortunately, even when they are clearly identified as such, it takes eternity for the British government and other governments around the world to allow such funds to be returned to the legitimate owners. In that case, there is a seeming case of official conspiracy to commit money laundering or aiding and abetting corruption.

At any rate, no one is in doubt about the seriousness and the tenacity with which Buhari has been waging the current anti-corruption crusade in Nigeria. Hope was rekindled among the generality of Nigerians after the President delivered his acceptance speech before a capacity crowd at the Eagle Square, Abuja, on May 29, 2015. The President had declared that he was going to wage a titanic war on corruption which had long become an endemic cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabric of the nation.

All along, Nigerians knew corruption as a hydra-headed monster destroying the nation. The reason is that everybody knows it. But nobody was bold enough or has been able to muster enough courage to tackle the menace. The closest we have come is for some past leaders to condemn the attitude by word of mouth whenever the opportunity presented itself, while they themselves, their cronies and acolytes are neck deep in nefarious activities.

Nigerians believed Buhari and actually rooted for him. They were convinced by his track-record and they knew he could be taken for his words. So, Buhari rode on the crest of popular support into office. Not long after, he took off with the war on corruption in earnest. In the process, the gargantuan rot left behind by the immediate past government and other past administrations started being unearthed.

It will be recalled that at the inception of democratic governance in the country in 1999, the party at the centre then was the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, a behemoth that ruled the country for 16 years – 1999-2015. At a particular point during this period, there was a time when the party was in control of more than 26 or 27 states of the federation. At that time, the opposition parties were so fragmented and too disorganised to tackle the PDP. This gave the PDP a free reign to plunder the nation’s resources.

But thanks to the coalition of some four political parties and a splinter group from the PDP, the 2015 election saw the exit of the octopus PDP from power. It was succeeded by the Buhari administration which rode into the villa with its ‘change’ mantra. What is this ‘change’ mantra? The mantra entails that the country will have to change its ways from the way it did business in the past, to a new way with compliance to international best practices. It was obvious that the country was plagued by corruption at all levels–businessmen, bankers, politicians, civil servants, the Military, the Police and other surfeits of security agencies, are all intensely corrupt. And this was not leading the country anywhere. Instead, Nigeria and Nigerians had gained notoriety for corruption and corrupting influence.

Over the years, corruption had been allowed to flourish unhindered in our public and private lives on a very debilitating and disturbing scale. Reversing this trend, therefore, will certainly not be a day’s job. It is going to be a long haul. The president himself has said this much at many fora that the anti-corruption war his government has embarked upon will be a difficult, tortuous journey but he is determined to get to the Promised Land. That Promised Land is to make Nigeria a country where due diligence and transparency are observed in doing business; a country where accountability matters; a country that operates on a level playing field with opportunity to all, etc.

Of course, in the first few weeks of the Buhari administration, things appeared to be moving fine and people everywhere applauded the bold steps the new government was taking to address the decay of the past. Even outside the country, the applause reverberated. The general feeling was that a new Sheriff had come to town. Compliance with best practices suddenly became a norm rather than the exception. Even the DISCOs – (Electricity Distribution Companies) – as the lords of power distribution are now called, quickly whipped their men into order. Light was everywhere unlike in the past when it was a luxury to even have 30 minutes of electricity. Civil servants in Abuja got to work early and things appeared to be normal.

People said it was a response to the new president’s body language. The nation’s anti-graft agencies, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, ICPC and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, also scrambled to their feet as the new president’s “body language” seemed to have woken them from their hitherto deep slumber. What followed was a rash of indiscriminate arrests, obtaining confessions under duress and trial on the pages of newspapers. In my life, I have not seen where a security agency became as loquacious as the EFCC has been doing these past few months. It is interesting to note that up till this moment, not a single suspect has been found guilty of any financial malfeasance as the EFCC had made the public to believe through the media. This is worrisome.

When Cameron said the country was fantastically corrupt, his statement, though unbecoming of a man in such a high political office, was not totally off the mark, more so, as the degree of corruption in Nigeria is incredible, scandalous and alarming. And with the snail speed at which this anti-corruption war is being prosecuted by the anti-graft agencies, especially their system of arrest before scouting for evidence to nail suspects, we might end up just scratching the monster in the face. May God help us!