The Nation Newspaper

Tag: fighting corruption

  • C&S leader to Buhari: Be ruthless in fighting corruption

    The Supreme Head, Cherubim & Seraphim Unification Church of Nigeria, Prophet Solomon Adegboyega Alao, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari “to be ruthless in fighting corruption”.

    He noted that corruption has eaten deep into all the facets of the society and it is only a president that is ready to fight it with iron hands that can succeed in curbing the trend.

    The clergyman spoke to newsmen at the weekend during the retreat of the National Council of Prophets and Prophetesses of the Church held at Seraph Land, kilometer 40, Lagos/Ibadan expressway, Maba, Ogun State.

    Prophet Alao said corruption is ungodly and urged all God-fearing Nigerians to support the President in fighting the hydra-headed monster.

  • Fighting corruption, greed with integrity

    SIR: The rules of accountability, transparency and integrity should be kept. Corruption is satanic and should be seen as the enemy of our oneness. Those with insatiable appetite for greed and selfishness should change their attitude. It is imperative to teach ethics at all levels of our educational system to avoid socio-economic disaster.

    Life continues in bits, in strings of a chord; life is musical, life is a stage. The drama continues so long, so long. The purity in life is the undaunted conscience it owns. Climatic, anticlimactic, there are possibilities in life. Puritans versus plunderers, always. The hardliners of the struggle, even in the book of accounts, ubiquitous, ubiquitous! Mature moment to render mortal, misogynistic and even misanthropic cynicisms of the duo!

    Corruption is conscience-void. Corruption cedes wealth cryptically from the hoi polloi to the affluent. Corruption is satanic. With crooked heart, corruption is master artist for mischief and thieving!

    Even as minister or commissioner, thou have misappropriated funds by mischievous diversions that at end leave the treasury virtually empty. Among others, the government meets the problems associated with climate change such as increased desertification, consequential decrease in arable land, gully erosions in cities and village (a pandemic occurrence) and a preponderance of youth unemployment. Preventive and salvation efforts are needed to avoid socio-economic disaster. An empty treasury is nothing the government can bank upon. Attempts to make you return your illegal enrichments thou have bluffed even through extra-ordinary measures.

    Thou have even gone further to pervert justice by negatively influencing the judiciary (giving gratifications to judges and other court officials) so that justice does not serve. In our closets and wardrobes, thou are termites; and in the valley and on the mountain, thou are fire under our feet. Thou have insatiable appetite for greed and selfishness. Thou have bled the land almost to a comma! Stop drumming for war! Avoid provoking the righteous indignation of the masses! Thy antics and tactics could backfire! All ill-gotten wealth must be returned to the land to appease humanity. Promoting disaffection and dismemberment of the nation energized with chest beating and drums of war are an abomination, selfish, diversionary and skin-saving. Whether at private level or public corruption is enemy of our oneness. Music of peace and love we desire! Remorse and refrain are a path back to humanity via purity.

    In order to make humanity centric in our private, personal and public lives, the teaching of Ethics at all levels of our educational system becomes imperative.

    In all, whatever we do or say, humanity matters most. Anything that gravitates away from this focus is a waste.

     

    • Dr. Oyedokun Agbeja, Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State.

  • Fighting corruption in Nigeria non-negotiable, says Buhari

    PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday told former South African President Thabo Mbeki that for his administration, fighting corruption is non-negotiable.

    Mbeki, who heads the African Union High Level Panel on Illicit Flows from Africa, was at the Villa to give the President, who is the present Champion of AU Anti-Corruption Campaign, some critical updates.

    In a statement by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina, the President said: “We must fight corruption frontally, because it’s one of the reasons we got elected.

    “We campaigned on three fundamental issues; security, reviving the economy and fight against corruption. It’s the reason we got elected, and we can’t afford to let our people down.”

    Noting that the government was making progress on the anti-corruption war, “and not just talking,” the President said he was very pleased with the assignment the former South African President was carrying out for the African continent.

    He said when Africa is vigorous with the war against corruption, “we will eventually appeal to the conscience of the rest of the world”.

    Mbeki said corruption was an African challenge that must be responded to, “as development challenges can only be met through the check of illicit financial flows”.

    He said he was delighted that Buhari touches on the issue in most of his speeches, with the most recent being at the United Nations General Assembly last week.

  • Corruption versus economy

    As it took off in May 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had three focal areas in mind: revamping the economy, fighting corruption, and securing the nation.

    Under security, the Federal Government under Buhari has been given kudos for its giant strides.

    First it claimed that it was able to reclaim all the local governments under the control of the insurgents, Boko Haram, in the Northeast where their flags were…hoisted since the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The government has also been applauded for facilitating return of many Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their villages and towns abandoned under Jonathan’s administration.

    It again showed its prowess last Wednesday when the government succeeded in negotiating unconditional release of over 105 Dapchi secondary school girls out of the 111 abducted from the Government Girls Science and Technical College, Dapchi, Yobe State on the 19th of February, 2018.

    But the main opposition party and other individuals, last week, were quick to describe what happened in Dapchi in the last one month as government manipulation, arranged abduction and arranged release of the schoolgirls.

    While the main focus of this write-up is not to determine whether the successes claimed by the present administration in security are real, imaginary or manipulated, it aims to dwell on the other two main goals of the administration.

    As many Nigerians await full economic development of Nigeria, it may become a mirage and impossible to realize unless corruption is tamed.

    Despite fighting corruption in almost three years since May 2015, like a cancer, it has refused to give way.

    Among the measure put in place to check corruption in the country in the last three years include implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), streamlined payroll system under the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), and the whistle blower policy.

    While billions of naira is said to be saved with the implementation of TSA, a total of 511 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are said to be captured under the IPPIS, with staff count of 607,843.

    The implementation of the IPPIS, is also said to have resulted in the reduction of ghost workers syndrome, enforcement of compliance with due process on employment of staff in MDAs, and prompt and timely payment of salaries and remittances of third parties payments.

    Through the Whistle blower policy, the Federal Government is said to have recovered N7.8 billion, $378 million, and 27,800 pounds.

    Beside corruption fighting back, the fraudulent ones in the system have continued to devise new methods to beat anti-corruption strategies put in place.

    Even with the successes recorded towards blocking leakages in the system as claimed by the government, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the 7th Presidential Quarterly Business Forum for Private Sector stakeholders at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. last Monday declared that present corruption in system is still posing great danger to economic development.

    Apart from corruption still waxing strong under the current dispensation, he revealed that the Nigerian economy is still experiencing adverse effect of massive looting and corruption that took place under Jonathan.

    Osinbajo said “But I want to talk about what I think is probably the biggest problem but which we for some reason hardly talk about when discussing our National economy. This is grand corruption in the public finance space!

    “Sometimes, the way we talk about the Nigerian economy, it appears like it is the economy of say Norway or Sweden, where all things are equal. Even when we refer to what has taken place in our economy, we almost sound as if this is a normal business environment, a normal public finance environment but that is not the case.

    “I don’t think that any considerations of our economic development can be properly or honestly done without fully analysing the role of grand corruption in the public finance space.

    “So despite record high levels of oil prices, very little was invested in infrastructure and record levels of leakages were recorded, especially in the past few years. This is the fundamental issue in our economy. Corruption affects everything, it even affects judgement as to what sort of infrastructure to put in place or whether to even put infrastructure in place or whether it would be completed. It is so fundamental that we cannot even think of our economy, without thinking of what to do about it.

    ”Sometimes when we talk about our economy, we say that we have relied on a single commodity, and that is one of the reasons why we are where we are. Yes, that is true but it is the fact that the proceeds of that single commodity were regularly hijacked consistently by a few. That is really the problem. If we spend the proceeds of that single commodity the way we ought to spend it, we won’t be where we are today.

    “That most of the proceeds go to rent seekers, who invest little in industry and production. So for example, I’m sure many of us are familiar with the so called strategic alliance contracts with the NNPC and NDPC, the promoters of the companies made away with close to 3billion US dollars, almost a tenth of our reserves at one point!

    “There is no way if someone made away with that amount, a tenth of your reserves, that there won’t be a major economic shock! If we don’t deal with it and talk about it, how do we really discuss our economy in any real honest way with a view to ensuring that these things do not happen again?

    “In one single transaction, a few weeks to the elections in 2015, the sum of N100billion and $289million in cash were embezzled by a few. When you consider that in 2014, when oil prices were an average of $110 per barrel, only N99 billion was spent on Power, Works and Housing, and in one day, N100 billion was issued and people essentially shared it and N99 billion was spent on Power, Works and Housing.

    “When we talk about our economy, we talk about it like it is normal but it is abnormal by every standard, completely abnormal.  Nobody should talk about the economy when you have these huge leakages and corruption; corruption that makes what you allocate to capital and infrastructure nonsense.

    “From the presentation of Minister of Finance, N14 billion was spent on agriculture in 2014, transportation N15 billion. The total spend on capital in those critical areas was N153billion and in two weeks to the 2015 election, N150 billion was shared and essentially shared!  So if your total capital spend is N153billion and you can share N150 billion, let’s face it, that is completely incredible! It is the sort of thing that doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world.

    “When we talk about the economy, we absolutely must understand that is the problem. Today with less revenue, we have increased capital funding by 400% in Power, Works and Housing, Defence, Transportation and Agriculture.  Economic analysis in Nigeria is either fraudulent or ignorant if we do not bring the money lost to corruption into the maths.

    “This is what distinguishes this administration from any other. It is the fight against corruption especially in public finance. And I can say that with all sense of responsibility, if you have a President who is not corrupt, at least 50% of your financial problems, especially in public finance, is over. This is what I have seen, and I can prove it with facts and figures.

    “If the President is corrupt, the entire financial system of the country is compromised, that is what we have seen from the figures. That is an absolute important point that we must take into account.

    “I am not saying that corruption under this administration has been completely dealt, certainly not. Where corruption has become systematic, you can’t deal with it all in one fell swoop. In any event you still have to deal with corruption fighting back, the system fights back, it is both an internal and external fight, and you have to be steadfast and strategic to win the battle.

    “There is no way you have a system that has consistently thrived on corruption and proceeds of corruption and public finance in particular that will just roll over, no! It is a system that had actively dealt on corruption and the system affects all aspects of governance. So clearly trying to deal with it is not a walk in the park.

    “I want to say that task has already begun and being done consistently, I believe that going forward in the next few years, no matter how we slice it, if we stick to policies especially in controlling excesses and corruption in public finance, this country will make the kind of progress it deserves to make with all of the resources at our disposal.

    “If we stick to a policy that ensures that as far as public finance is concerned, there is no impunity, and we hold people to account, I am absolutely confident this country has everything it takes to make the sort of progress that we deserve to make as a nation,” he stated.

    But the Jonathan’s camp swiftly denied the allegations against the immediate past administration, demanding Osinbajo to substantiate his claims.

    It is hoped that corruption in the country will not be allowed to kill the economy.

    With the natural resources at its disposal, it is high time Nigeria develops economically and rank high along top global developed economies.

     

  • US Envoy holds roundtable with religious leaders fighting corruption

    Acting United States Special Representative for Religion and Global Affairs Amy Lillis held a roundtable discussion on Thursday with members of the Religious Leaders Anti-Corruption (RLAC) working group.

    The Religious Leaders Anti-Corruption (RLAC) working group was formed in 2016 by Muslim and Christian religious leaders with the primary goal of addressing how faith communities could take a leading role in anticorruption advocacy in Nigeria. The group has since developed partnerships with leading anti-corruption voices in civil society in order to fight corruption at all levels in Nigeria.

    During the meeting, Special Representative Lillis pledged the U.S. government’s continued support to the religious leaders as they work to find lasting solutions to stamp out the scourge of corruption.

    “The moral standing of religious leaders, and the capacity of religious institutions to reach a broad cross-section of Nigerian society, make RLAC’s work essential to the future of anticorruption advocacy,” Special Representative Lillis said.  ”It is my pleasure to be here to support this next stage of the Religious Leaders Anti-Corruption working group. Religious leaders are an essential component of the multi-faceted fight against corruption in this country.”

    She explained that working against corruption is essential to many of the priorities of both the U.S. government and the religious leaders, including constructing peaceful, secure societies, and promoting prosperity.

    At the event, the religious leaders discussed additional innovative options for bringing the principles of anti-corruption to the grassroots. They resolved to disseminate anti-corruption message through media outlets, sermons, and train-the-trainer workshops.

    The Department of State’s Office of Religion and Global Affairs was established in 2013 to strengthen the U.S. government’s efforts to assess religious dynamics and engage religious actors across a wide range of foreign policy priorities.

  • I’m committed to fighting terrorism, corruption, salvaging economy – Buhari

    I’m committed to fighting terrorism, corruption, salvaging economy – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said that his administration remains committed to realizing the key priorities of securing the country, fighting corruption, and salvaging the economy in spite of current challenges.

    He made the remark while receiving the Letter of Credence of the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. William Stuart Symington, at the State House, Abuja.

    In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President said the security situation in the North East had improved significantly following support in training of the military and supply of hardware after the G-7 meeting in Germany in 2015.

    ‘‘When I was invited to the G-7 meeting after my inauguration on May 29, 2015, I thought I was going to be an observer at the meeting, but without prompting, I was asked to brief the leaders on the security situation in Nigeria, and I did. Since then, we have received support in training and military hardware, and I hope we have not disappointed,’’ he said.

    The President said the target of reversing the ‘‘culture of corruption’’ in the country had received support from Nigerians, with many realizing the depth of damage done by some previous administrations from the ongoing investigations and prosecutions.

    ‘‘The corruption we met at personal and institutional levels was unbelievable. Corruption was turning into a culture. After we came in, people started realizing the truth,’’ he added.

    He told the U. S ambassador that his administration was still determined to continue investigations and prosecution of corrupt persons in the country as ‘‘Nigeria will either kill corruption or corruption will kill Nigeria in the long run.’’

    The President noted that the years of mishandling of the economy at a period of financial prosperity, affected the economy, making it more challenging to create employment for the youths and improve the livelihood of many Nigerians.

    ‘‘It has not been easy for another party to come in and get things done properly, especially with the new economic reality of $37 per barrel of oil, against the $100 for the period, and there was no savings, no infrastructure on ground,’’ he said.

    The President also said the timely intervention of the United States, with a visit of the Secretary of State John Kerry to Nigeria, before the 2015 elections helped in ensuring peace and stability in the country.

    In his remarks, the U.S ambassador said the interest in the well-being of Nigeria was of mutual benefit.

    ‘‘We do it not only for Nigeria, but for ourselves. We did it because it was right for us and right for our people,’’ he said.

    He said he would work hard to further strengthen the relationship between his country and Nigeria, assuring that President-elect Donald Trump would also be interested in the wellbeing of Nigeria.

    President Buhari also received Letter of Credence from the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco, Mr. Moha Ouali Tagma, assuring him of Nigeria’s willingness to improve bilateral relations between the countries.

  • Two faces of fighting corruption

    SIR: Our ethics have degenerated to an intolerable depth. The allegation that senior military officials diverted the fund allocated for equipment to fight the war against insurgency to private use during the past administration was inconceivable. The decay in our society has reached the point that human life is expendable for material gain. The disturbing aspect of this atrociousness is that it is acceptable. People applaud those who perpetrate evil acts for money. We idolize wealth irrespective of how it was acquired.

    The consequence of our depraved attitude towards life has reflected in the demoralized state of the country. Social and political infrastructures have collapsed. Nobody engages in a meaningful agenda with the seriousness of mind to achieve public good. We all want quick money. A vision of the country from outside looks like a cesspool, meanwhile, our leaders glory in the loot of our resources and we cheer them on like clowns.

    The emergence of President Buhari came as no surprise. People know that the rot in the system will destroy the nation. His message of fight against corruption was appealing. His reputation as a tough military leader buoyed the confidence of the masses to usher him in for a second trial in office. It was not without reservation. Sceptics know that time has changed and the president may not have what it takes to lead in a democracy.

    Fight for corruption is a battle that must be won for the country to survive. This is indisputable. However, the devil is in the details as the saying goes. The execution of the fight has marshalled the inadequacy of the President to manage the affairs of a modern society. His move to freeze the financial activities of some alleged culprits has thus led to crippling of the economy.

    The President cannot lose sight of the significance of maintaining liquidity in the economy. Circulation of money in an economic system is what keeps businesses alive. The whole economy shuts down once the financial structure is threatened by the action of the political leadership. Lack of sensitivity of the various instruments that are necessary to retain a viable economy has disposed the President to fiscal policy decisions that are counterproductive, if not inimical, to the wellbeing of the citizens.

    A sound administration will be tactical in dealing with a dysfunctional economy. Every effort should be employed to resist a shock to the system. It may seem morally right to freeze the bank account of corrupt politicians but that may trigger a tsunami of economic collapse. The fundamental thing to be considered is that rogue politicians have support systems managed by ordinary citizens. Lack of judiciousness in handling their matter could lead to undue adversity for families who depend on their wealth for survival.

    The President should realize that leadership is about manipulating resources to arrive at a feasible possibility that will warrant good living condition for the citizenry. The nation has technocrats who can diagnose the ill of the economy and prescribe the right medicine for growth. We cannot have an ocean and wash our hands with spittle all in the name of fighting corruption – liberalize government.

    • Pius Okaneme,

    Umuoji, Anambra State.

  • Fighting corruption- guilt, politics and deterrence

    While  it is  apparent  that in   global   democracies, elected representatives gain power  at  the ballot box, that responsibility  also   confers  or  imposes  on  them the need  to play  by  the rules or  the  law  of  the land  or  nation in  enjoying  that power. Misuse or abuse  of that power is political corruption at  first and corruption in  stark terms as  a cancer  that can cripple any economy  and its  governing institutions   in the final    analysis. In  the book , ‘Culture  Matters,‘the argument  was made that while the culture of a society influences its morals and values,  it is  the political  system that drives the overall  effort  to  tackle corruption and create  human progress  and  development. Culture   or  morals  may  therefore very  well  matter,  but it is  government  that  creates  the enabling environment for  compliance  with  the rules  of  the game  by  powerful  political  participants  and those in control  of government  and its institutions in  any  polity.

    In  Western  European  nations  and  the US, the two  centers driving global  democracy as the major  ideology of   world  governance, observance  of  human  rights  have  developed  and grown  to  such an extent  that  human  rights  now takes   precedent,  over  even  state  security.  A good  example  is in  France where  a law on what  women  should  wear  to swim and  their right to do so   took  precedence  over  security  concerns because  of  the religion  of a certain  sector  of  society from  among  whom   terrorists seem  to  have   sprung from  in  recent  times. Yet,  the duty of a state or any  government is to protect the lives and property of its  citizens while  guaranteeing   their  right  of  freedom  in a secular  state.  Similarly,  Europe   and especially  France, was   mainly  Christian  before  colonisation  and globalisation  which  brought  in a Muslim  population  that is now  the largest in the EU  and  it  is  from  the ranks of the Muslim  population that the jihadists that  have been recruited  as Islamic  militants that  have made  terrorism  a nightmare  for  the French  people have sprung  from .  According to  French  President, Francois  Hollande,  France  will  never  give in to terrorists nor  compromise its  way  of  life to suit French  citizens who  want  to  impose  Sharia in the mode  of  bloody  terrorism  of  the Islamic  State killing French  citizens  in blatant  acts of  terrorism  in  French  cities.  That    really is the duty of any  democratic  government.  For  terrorism  is a form  of  military  corruption that  must  be put  down  by  the state at all costs and in all  places. Such  military corruption  can  only  be   matched  by the emergence of an enemy  within   a  state  such as the one that  emerged  from Nigeria  where it  was revealed  that military  officers sold arms  to  Boko  Haram, the  Nigerian surrogate  of Islamic  state.  This is an odious  act of corruption equal in magnitude to  the  funds  diversion  scam   involving  the office of the Director  of  State  Security  in which  funds  meant  for arms  to  fight   Boko  Haram  were collected  or  given  out  to  cronies  of  the Jonathan  administration    to  campaign  for its reelection  in  the 2015  presidential  elections. More  on  this later.

    Today,  however,  we  look  at  events   around global  corruption  and  the fight  against  it in  some countries   this week.  We  examine  the context of corruption, the proof  or onus  of  guilt,  as well  as  the  manner of its admission  or  denial. We  also  examine  how  the law  has fared  in its application  and  how   the  issue  of  deterrence  is resolved. This  is  because  deterrence is the ultimate objective  of any fight  against  corruption  in any  political  system.  It  is the duty  of  government  in  fighting  corruption to make an example of  those who  flout  the rules  of  governance   or loot  the public treasury  in  the performance  of their public  or state  functions.  This  means the penalty  for the offence must be such that  should deter real or  potential  offenders from  taking that course  of  action  again or if  ever.

    On  that premise  we look at Brazil where President Dilmar  Roussef  was  charged  with  corruption, suspended  from  office for six months and finally  tried  in the  Brazilian  Senate. There, two thirds of  senators voted for  her impeachment and she was  removed  from  office and  the  Vice President  sworn as her replacement .We  look  at the  US  where Donald  Trump went  to  Mexico  after  calling Mexicans rapists  and drug  users and  the case for  libel  brought by his wife  Melanie against  a blogger and the UK  Daily  Mail  for calling  her a sex  worker  before  marrying her  husband.

    We  take  a  look  at  Nigeria where  huge amounts  have  been  seized  from  treasury looters who  have not  been named  and  the statement  credited to a military  general in  the frontline in  the  North  East  where the  Army   is fighting Boko  Haram  that  those army  officers  who  sold  arms to  Boko Haram  are  being  tried  by the  military. As well as the statement by  the general that  he did not know when  Boko Haram will  be defeated  as insurgency   could end  today, 10  years  or 25  years.

    Obviously  we have enough  food  for thought today  and we can  now start a sequential  analysis  of  these  events. We  go  back  to  Brazil  where  the president  was removed by  impeachment  in  the Senate  and  she called  it  the nearest  thing  to a coup. But  that is not  the issue.  It  was her  defence  that was revealing.  She  did  not  refute  the charges of  padding the budget to show  that it was performing well to get reelected in  2014  for a second time. All  she said  in defence  was that  previous  governments in Brazil  have done  so and  hers  cannot  be an exemption. That  makes her roundly  guilty  in  my books  in  spite  of  all  her  achievements  in  lifting millions  of  Brazilians out  of  poverty. Her     impeachment  is   therefore   well  deserved.

    To  say  she lost  to  forces  of  anti-corruption she unleashed is  poor  defence if  she too   broke the rules  of  budgeting like her predecessors.   In  law,   those   who  come  to equity    must   come with  clean   hands   and   like   Caesar’s  wife,  this   Brazilian  president,  an   accomplished     Economist     a lady   at  that,   should    have     been  above    reproach  on  such    matters.  Her  impeachment  provides  a good  lesson  for those  handling the  budget   padding accusations in  Nigeria’s  House  of Representatives   where  at last it has been  reported that the anti-corruption  outfit headed by Professor Itse Sagay  has met  with the  main  accuser  of  the Speaker in spite  of earlier  reports  that  claimed  that the Speaker noted  that  padding was  not an  offence  and  the presidency had  agreed with  that.  The  accusations  by  the  accuser  of  the leadership of the House were  so  detailed as he was an insider  as former  Appropriations  Committee Chairman, that   they  can  never  be ignored by  any  government fighting  corruption  like the Buhari  administration. We  therefore  keep  our  fingers crossed till  the results  of  the investigation are made  public.

    Next  we  look at  the Donald  Trump  visit and  wonder  why  it  took  place at all during the week.  Before  going to Mexico  the next  day  he  had reiterated all  the negative  things  he  said about deporting Mexicans   and building  a wall  to  block  out  Mexicans entering the US  illegally.  I  found  out  that  the visit  was  based on a tradition  of presidential  candidates of the  US visiting the  Mexican president  before elections as the two  nations are neighbours and Hillary  would  follow  suit  later. That  notwithstanding I expected  the Mexican president to have  refused to  see Trump because of the hostile  things he had said  about Mexico  and Mexicans in this US election  campaign  for  President. But  I also  found  out that if the Mexican  president  had  done this,  that  would  have  favoured Trump,  as Americans  especially  Republicans  don’t  like foreign  leaders  looking down  on their  candidates.  Which  shows  clearly  that again Trump  had  gotten  away  with  murder on  the  Mexican visit  where you  could say  he bearded  the Mexican  lion  in its  den.

    The  same  cannot   however  be said about   the   $150m   libel  suit  brought  by his wife against the Daily  Mirror and a blogger  for  defaming  her by calling  her  a sex  worker  because the wife  has  really  been  maligned. This week  the Daily  Mail  and the blogger  recanted which  means they  published falsehood. Which  makes them  liable unless  of course they apologise  or  offer  to  settle  out  of  court.  Which  is  a good lesson    for  those  who  see  nothing good  in  anything associated  with  the  Republican  presidential  candidate including  his wife .  No  news  media  has  a duty  to  publish  news  without crosschecking the    facts in   spite of the advent  of    the pervasive      and ubiquitous  social  media which  is bound to  have  problems    given  that this is its notorious modus  operandus.   This  is  simply  not  fair to the victims of  such  unverified and untrue   stories  and  the  editors  of  the well  respected  Daily  Mail  of  the UK   should  have known  and done  better  investigative  reporting,  even  on  the wife  of an hated  presidential  candidate   like  Donald  Trump.

    Now  the chicken  can come home  to roost with  Nigeria  and  here I  will  simply  make some  postulations. On  non publication of  the names of  looters  who  have returned  stolen  funds I  totally  disagree. Return of stolen  funds is an  admission  of  guilt  and publication of  such names  casts  immediate  opprobrium and  stigma  on those  involved and  that creates  a very  hurtful  deterrence  which  I said  is  the goal  of any  fight against corruption. To  say the rule  of  law  is breached  by  such  name publication  is sheer  fallacy. Where  was the rule  of  law  when  the offence  was  committed and  the decision  to  return  stolen  funds  made?  If  people who return  stolen  funds  sue for libel, the best  they  can  get  is  a contemptuous  award  for  one  kobo  as in Leon  Uris  best  seller QB V11.  As  they  cannot  get  redress  for  a reputation they  don’t  have or  have inadvertently destroyed by   admitting   and  returning  stolen  money.

    Lastly,  the Nigerian  army must  publish  the names of  officers  on trial  for selling  arms   to  Boko  Haram and  if  found  guilty  of  such  treason  maximum  punishment  must  be meted out.  The same goes  for military  officers  who  converted war  funds  to  their private  use  in building hotels and hospitals  and malls  for  their  sons. In  addition,  the  army  must  crush  Boko  Haram  now as  the general  first  said, not  in  10 or  25  years as he later  added  so  that the army  does  not suffer front  fatigue  which  can  make victory over Boko  Haram    elusive.  Quite    like the mirage,  very  common  in   hot   sun   on  the long  highways  of  our Northern  cities,  especially  in the North  East.  Once  again, long  live  the  Federal  Republic  of  Nigeria.

  • Still on fighting corruption

    Still on fighting corruption

    SIR: For several years now, Nigeria has consistently been rated by Transparency International (TI), in their perception index as either the most corrupt or one of the most corrupt countries in the world.

    Corruption has totally permeated all aspects of our national life; it has eaten deep into our national fabric from social, academic, industrial, and religious to political, diplomatic and even commercial fabric. It is the factor that has condemned Nigeria to this shameful and shabby existence. In rejecting his nomination for the 2004 National Honours Award, eminent scholar and professor of Literature, Chinua Achebe said “Corruption in Nigeria has passed the alarming and entered the fatal stage and Nigeria will die if we keep pretending that she is only slightly indisposed”.

    Corruption in Nigeria has gone beyond selfishness, gone beyond greed and self-sufficiency but has graduated from wickedness to madness. It is purely to oppress people. It is a case of class struggle to make the majority of the people subservient to them, to lord themselves over us, or how can you justify an idle sum of over a billion naira sitting in an individual’s account with no need for it in the nearest future?

    However, the allegation of abuse of office by the immediate National Security Adviser is both a moral and security issue which in my opinion should not be in the public domain. Such security matters are serious national matters and they should not be subject of sensationalism. As a friend will always say – A father who goes round telling the world his home is filled with wayward children should not be surprised that no suitor visits his house. Former President Bill Clinton once said: “You can’t de-value yourself to prosperity’.

    The economy is bleeding profusely and needs an urgent operation. The government needs to talk less and come up with creative ways of reviving the economy. It is not good for our national image when we constantly, vicariously and inadvertently raise so much negative assaults about the integrity and leadership abilities and styles of the immediate past administration.

    We need to tone down the corruption rhetoric and fight corruption fiercely but quietly and pursue progress and development with greater vigour.

    However, for this current wind of anti-corruption to be sustained, there is the need for those investigating and prosecuting those alleged to respect the basic tenets of fundamental human rights and the rule of law, whereby a suspect can have access to his/ her lawyer and to respect courts’ decisions as far as granting of bail is concerned. And when these people are tried and we see them being given a fair trial, it is only then we can say the campaign is yielding democratic dividends.

    I believe it is only when we go back and respect our traditional heritage which teaches us to be good because it is good to be good, to love our neighbours, to live together happily, to respect and care for our neighbours as we are caring for ourselves, only then would we have a just society that is devoid of greed, wickedness, selfishness, ignorance, madness and taking undue advantage of the down trodden in our society, which all lead to the corruption we are talking about.

    • Tola Ogunnubi,

    Abuja.                                                                                                 

     

  • Fighting corruption in public service

    It is no longer news that President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption stance was a major reason why Nigerians voted him into power. Now all eyes are on him to see how he will tackle the hydra-headed menace.

    From far away United States of America, a former Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, and a former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Johnnie Carson, have advised Buhari to consider the anti-corruption war as “his first order of business”. They urged him to address it “at the institutional level by strengthening institutions” as well as “improving the transparency of government bodies”.

    An elder statesman and chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Yahaya Kwande, has also urged Buhari to use internal mechanisms to fight corruption in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). He argued that “Institutions of government such as the MDAs should be strengthened by allowing them more powers to deal with corruption at their own levels instead of making their officials mere figure heads who must take instruction from political authorities.”

    Kwande’s concern over issues of corruption in the public service is commendable just like the worries that many other stakeholders and ordinary Nigerians have expressed on similar issues in various sectors of the polity. His call for the strengthening of the capacity of public institutions to run their affairs with transparency and accountability is also good. Not only does it tally with the suggestion by the U S diplomats, it is in fact the global best practice and it is a major focus of the activities of anti-corruption agencies in the world, such as the ICPC he mentioned.

    His submission is, however, diminished in part by two unrealistic assumptions in his argument. First, he seems to repose too much trust in the ability of civil servants to respect the regulations governing their activities as custodians of public institutions. He believes they would naturally do the right thing if left alone and therefore the political authorities should be blamed for fuelling corruption in the public service. Many Nigerians would disagree with him on this point. It is more or less a rehash of the alibi usually given in the past by civil servants for corruption cases in their establishments, which is no longer tenable. The spate of multi-billion naira scams involving civil servants uncovered in recent years in some government establishments, such as the pension fund fraud, regrettably rubbish this assumption.

    The civil service of old is not what we have today. A new phase of corruption powered by unscrupulous civil servants is threatening to entrench itself in the system. This is not to say that the political authorities don’t have their own share of the blame but the truth is that even they cannot successfully perfect corrupt acts in public institutions without the cooperation and, or, active involvement of civil servants. Every public institution has institutional safeguards or checks against corruption built into the rules and regulations governing its operations. Infractions could occur occasionally as a result of negligence or system failure, but most acts of corruption are products of deliberate and wilful intentions which may or may not be aided by loopholes in the system.

    This is why the intervention of special anti-corruption agencies such as the ICPC is very crucial in fighting corruption in the public service. Again, Kwande’s second assumption underrates their role. His perception of anti-corruption agencies waiting in the wings to be called in to intervene when the damage has already been done certainly does not reflect the true role of the ICPC. By virtue of its mandate, the Commission is a critical stakeholder whose presence must be felt, helping to strengthen public institutions to prevent and withstand corruption while also addressing actual cases decisively. It is worthy of note that in several respects, the ICPC has been doing a good job in this regard.

    In other words, the ICPC has substantially addressed Kwande’s concerns through several proactive preventive mechanisms it has introduced in recent years to forestall or nip corruption in the bud in the MDAs. It is remarkable that the Commission has, in furtherance of this goal, inaugurated Anti-Corruption and Transparency Monitoring Units (ACTUs) in the MDAs.

    Apart from ensuring compliance, the ACTUs also serve as watch dogs and whistle blowers, looking out for violations and infractions and promptly reporting same wherever they are detected or suspected before they are full blown. The Commission has so far inaugurated 389 ACTUs in the MDAs and is working on the establishment of 293 more units to achieve total coverage of the MDAs. In addition, the Commission is also planning an annual audit of MDAs on the implementation of Anti-Corruption and Accountability Legislations and Regulations.

    The strengthening of public institutions is a continuous exercise and part of this exercise is the periodic system study and review of MDAs to identify areas where they are prone or susceptible to corruption. This is done with a view to plugging loopholes and sources of leakages that people usually manipulate to subvert the system to make way for their nefarious acts. ICPC has carried out the exercise on some public establishments at the three tiers of government with remarkable success. Apart from the ministries, some key agencies have undergone this exercise at the federal government level.

    As far as the anti-corruption war in the MDAs is concerned, ICPC appears to be on top of the situation. Its plan to introduce an Ethics and Compliance Score Card for MDAs will spur an integrity competition among them and enhance their transparency. If this exercise is implemented as envisioned by the Commission’s current Chairman, Barrister Ekpo Nta, it will be much more in depth and realistic than the Transparency International Corruption Perception Index.

    By Kolawole Akinseye

    Lagos.