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The War On Corruption In Nigeria: Lessons From The Us War On Terrorism By Dr. Emmanuel Ojameruaye
In its editorial of March 27, 2007 titled “A defining moment in governance”, the Thisday newspaper noted that the recent bride-for-budget scandal involving the Ministry of Education and some members of the National Assembly should be regarded “as our own equivalent of 9/11. If there is a follow through, that is arrests, prosecution and conviction of guilty ones, it would mark the defining moment for good governance in Nigeria and the beginning of the real war against corruption as 9/11 signaled the war against global terrorism. It will bring a new ethical standard into the conduct of government business and the performance of legislative function”. I agree with this statement and I think we should apply the lessons of 9/11 to Nigeria’s “War on Corruption’” (WOC). Therefore, in what that follows, I will attempt to draw some of the lessons of President Bush’s “War on Terrorism” (WOT) for President Obasanjo’s WOC
On September 11, 2001, terrorists carried out the worst form of attack on the US soil, crashing aircrafts into the World Trade Center (the symbol of US capitalism and wealth) and the Pentagon (the symbol of US military prowess) and killing close to 4,000 people. The cost of the attack runs into several billion dollars. Estimate of the direct cost is in excess of 150 billion dollars, excluding the indirect and subsequent costs. Some analysts believe that the financial effects of the 9/11 attack far outweigh those of any other natural or man-made disaster in US history. It was a direct affront on the US. When President Bush visited the WTC, he vowed to hunt down not only the perpetrators of the attack but all terrorist cells and supporters throughout the world. Since then, President Bush has waged a relentless war on terrorism. He has captured or killed thousands of terrorists, overthrown the regimes in Afganistan and Iraq and has placed other “terrorist –supporting” regimes on notice. Thanks to the war, there has not been any terrorist attack on US soil since 9/11. The US people and Congress have given full support to President Bush in the war.
In a sense, corruption in Nigeria is like terrorism. Nigeria has consistently ranked among the four most corrupt countries in the world during the past five years and possibly before then. Corruption is endemic and its cost is staggering. It siphons off much needed funds that could have been used for infrastructure and other developmental activities to improve the living conditions of many Nigerians. It also inflates the cost of doing business in Nigeria, scares away foreign investors and makes it difficult to get external debt reprieve. Bribes and other corrupt practices increase the cost of projects by over 20%. In fact, many Nigerian are dying daily because of the corruption pandemic in the country. One can say that corruption is the secret weapon of mass destruction (SWMD) in Nigeria. Therefore, to win the war on corruption, President Obasanjo must learn from President Bush’s war on terrorism. To be sure, corruption cannot be eliminated completely but it can be reduced considerably to a “tolerable level”. What then are some of the lessons we can draw for Nigeria’s war on corruption from the 9/11-induced war on terrorism?
Firstly, we need to date the defining moment (or “moment of outrage”, apology Bolaji Aluko). For the US war on terrorism, the defining moment was 9/11. For Nigeria’s war on corruption, I would suggest March 22, 2005 (3/22), the date President Obasanjo made his famous and decisive "It is with a heavy heart that I have to address the nation today..." broadcast. Hence Nigeria’s war on corruption should henceforth be given the code number 3/22.
Secondly, President Obasanjo must demonstrate total commitment to the WOC like President Bush has done on the WOT. Similarly, all members of the executive, the national assembly, the judiciary and the media must show strong commitment to the WOC and fully support President Obasanjo as is the case in the US. Unfortunately, some people have expressed doubt about President Obasanjo’s commitment to the WOC. It is even worse with some members of the executive, the judiciary and most especially the national assembly which some people say has become a haven of corruption. So far, the national assembly has not adequately supported President Obasanjo in his WOC as the US Congress has done for the WOT. It would have been difficult for President Bush to win the support of the US Congress if some congressmen were terrorists or supporters of terrorism. Thus, President Obasanjo must get rid of the corrupt officials in the national assembly, the executive and the judiciary or he should make it clear that he will not tolerate any corrupt official with effect from 3/22. If necessary, he could require all officials to swear an affidavit or make a firm commitment on non-involvement in any corrupt activity.
Thirdly, there is an urgent need for a comprehensive report on corruption in Nigeria to provide a stronger basis for strategies and policies for the WOC like the 9/11 Commission Report in the US. Although so much has been written on corruption in Nigeria, I doubt if there is any detailed policy-oriented document such as the USAID Handbook on Fighting Corruption and the USAID Anticorruption Strategy.
Fourthly, President Obasanjo needs to invest more on the WOC, including substantial investment on “intelligence” just as President Bush has done on the WOT. As the saying goes, you cannot make omelette without breaking eggs. The ICPC and EFCC should be well-funded, expanded and protected. It may be necessary to have a cabinet position for anti-corruption like the cabinet position for national security established in the US in the aftermath of 9/11. If necessary, some other anti-corruption agencies should be set up to complement the work of the EFCC and ICPC just as there are multiple agencies involved in the WOT in the US. All cases of corruption should be thoroughly investigated by independent bodies, even if they are foreign. For instance, I do not believe that the National Assembly can carry out "a calm and dispassionate investigation of the charges against its members" because the law of self-preservation will not allow them to do so. The EFCC or some other impartial organizations should be engaged to do the investigations and all efforts should be made to ensure that the investigators are not themselves corrupted. Corrupt officials will stop at nothing to thwart any investigation. It is not surprising that the EFCC office has been set on fire in the aftermath of this recent scandal. The investigation should also be extended to the executive branch, the Judiciary as well as all the state and local governments in the country.
Fifthly, we must be willing to tolerate some “breaches” of human rights, personal freedom or due processes in the WOC such as handcuffing of suspects like the ex-IG to the court, summary dismissal, detention without trail for a long-period (during investigation). For instance, there have been cases of “breaches” of civil liberties in the US in since the WOT was launched and American have generally been tolerant of these breaches if that is the price to be paid for preventing terrorism. Luckily, President Obasanjo will not be seeking re-election in 2007, so the potential of using the WOC to achieve political objectives will be much reduced. At the same time, we must discourage the use of the legal system to thwart the anti-corruption efforts. To paraphrase a recent remark by President Obasanjo at his Otta farm home, “it is only in Nigeria where if you catch a thief red-handed, he will take you to court to prove that he is not a thief” .
Sixthly, President Obasanjo should build more prisons and detention centres in some remote islands (Nigerian version of Guantanamo Bay prison - "gitmo") to which all corrupt officials should be sent to languish. Nigerian prisons are overcrowded and this is why the police is quick to accept bail to free criminals.
Finally, all Nigerians, especially the media and civil society organizations must rally to the support of the President. On his part, the President Obasanjo should follow the example of President Bush in his war on terror by not wavering or "flip-flopping" on the WOC notwithstanding threats or blackmail from any quarter. To paraphrase Shakespeare in Julius Ceaser, "there is a tide in the affairs of a nation, when taken leads to fortune, but when omitted leads to misery". Let the bribe-for-budget scandal (i.e. 3/22) be that "tide" for Nigeria.
Long Live Nigeria and Woe To Corruption! Dr. Emmanuel Ojameruaye
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