Corruption in Nigeria: Facts Before the Case

By

Abbas A. Dikko

ibndikko@yahoo.com

Indeed, events do overshadow events, but how justifiable could the submission of Dr. Antonio Maria Cost be? Mid November this year, Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) held its 6^th National Seminar on Economic Crimes in Abuja. The revelations by the Executive Director, UN office on drugs and crimes that, our past leaders stole $400billion before 1999 and further asserts, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo former president from1999–2007 must be commended for championing the cause of corruption fight in the country, is not good enough to score him a saint.

I expected our revered columnist and writers to draw an analysis, observations and comments on Dr. Antonio Maria Costa’s submission. Disappointingly, over a month from now, not a single word was heard from these astute and analytical writers. We live in a country, under a democratically elected government for eight years in a motion without movement because of high – tech corruption and other related offences. Yet, someone emerges from elsewhere to tell us a different story entirely. It is too early for this country and its people to forget the Transparency International ranking index result of corrupt countries in the world, which Obasanjo happens to be a trustee member.

Five years into his administration, Nigeria was rated the number one corrupt country in the world, with presidency leading the table, by this same organization (TI). There were roared and up roared by the top members of his cabinet, Oby Ezekwesile and co; proffering all sorts of explanations and defence that couldn’t stand the test of that period. Subsequent year, we were placed in the ranking of fourth position on the index table and now, we are the seventh in the bribery ranking index, which happened to be a followed–up from his immediate past regime.

Report so far, indicated from May 1999–mid 2006, the monies stolen within the period under review, was more than what our past leaders stole put together from independence to before handing over to his democratically elected government. This had been in circulation by our previous national dailies and subjected into series of discourse within the media and court of public opinion.

One easily recall that, the government of Obasanjo, expended over N1.3trillion in the power sector, $700million on our refineries, N300 billion on our roads, if one matched these with returns in terms of achievements and results, the economic variables, look downward slope. What can this be called, isn’t this a clear case of mismanagement and fraud? A fraud case of N400million in the Defence Ministry was uncovered by the then Defence Minister, Ty Danjuma, N150 billion in the Nigerian Port Authority, $302 million oil revenue unaccounted by NNPC as reported by the Chairman Revenue mobilization and fiscal commission, Engr. Hamman Tukur, N800 million revenue paid by oil companies to NNPC in the first five year administration of Obasanjo, was reported missing as reported by NEITI. What are these regarded by the Antonio UN office on drugs and Crimes?

The 3^rd term project gulfed substantial amount of monies through bribery and other grafts. News around, revelations and testimonies by some members of the 5^th Assembly indicated pro–3^rd term senators and members of the lower chamber were bribed N 50 and N 40 million each, respectively. Quantify their number and multiply it by the amount each received, and then imagine the figure in money term one is going to get. All these committals took place under the eight-year leadership of President Olusegun Obasanjo.

It is on records that, the Obasanjo democratic government got as much monies as revenue more than what the previous governments put together got since independence. Unfortunately, the most alleged corrupt government of late Gen. Sani Abacha by Obasanjo’s ranking recorded the highest development and growth, in terms of: capital projects, human development and economic prosperity. Have a glance of the 2006 index report of World Bank on good governance in Africa, organized by Mo Ibrahim foundation with an attached cash prize of $5million for any leader that came 1^st. Nigeria took the 42^nd position with 14.83 percent along side war ravaging countries like Liberia, Congo, Sudan and Somalia, simply because of corruption factor, we all know it.

Lest we forget, the PTDF saga, President Obasanjo pre–designed to roped Vice President Atiku Abubakar, which he legally defended and made some astonishing revelations that sent shivers in the presidency and today, that case is no longer in contention. What about the unjustifiable tax waivers running into billions of Naira advanced to Dangote Group of Companies and the Presidential Library donations by NNPC, Corporate Nigerians, Aliko Dangote and Family, Femi Otedola among others that were described by analyst as executive corruption? Are these too not regarded as anti – grafts in the context of UN office on Drugs and Crime?

Of recent, the Bakassi crises that has generated an exchange of bout between former president Obasanjo and ranking senators in the National Assembly, un-hatched another can of worms. Million of dollars appropriated for the resettlement and welfare of the displaced Bakassi peninsula people was said to be mismanaged. The coerced Federal/Local government joint funding for the construction of model primary health care centres in the 774 local councils, N6billion again, was said to be missing. All these are carried–over from the immediate past government of President Olusegun Aremu Mathew Okikiola Obasanjo.

Revelations and counter revelations on corruption in the government of Obsanjo continue to emerge, the recent confession of the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Solomon Matankari of Bureau for Public Service reforms at the 2008 budget defence before the Senate committee on Federal character commission, is damning and quite disheartening? N50billion part of monies for the settlement of retrenched workers cannot be traced, what will we call that?

Therefore, one continues to wonder, what were the parameters or chemistry applied by the Antonio UN office on drugs and crimes to arrived to the so result, exonerating the eight year democratic rule of Obasanjo and the commendation therein? An x–ray of the activities of his administration in connection to corruption and other related financial crimes in the immediate last goddem years, simple street sampling of the opinions of the Nigerian people, can quietly give one a clear picture of which regime is the most corrupt between his eight year rule and that of the previous leaders and governments.

Down the component units of the Federation, taking into accounts of the traffic of cheques and the face value in comparison with the level of abject poverty, neglect and infrastructural decays in most of the states is quite sordid and alarming.  The percentage index of sycophants, praise singers, destitute, jobless, disease ridden and malnutrition, still remains at an unprecedented proportional level. These were what Nigerians experienced in the last dispensation and constitute the endemics Yar’ Adua government inherited, and no doubt, corruption and other related offences, were the enabling factors behind this ungodliness.

Our local councils in the last dispensation were reduced to mere departments of the states, their monthly allocations running into billions of Naira, were cornered by the states executives rendering grass–root development and growth to zero percent. We all know, the selected council’s chairmen, because there were no elections, but selection, would only be given salaries and security votes, the remains of the balance, become history. That became the tradition in almost all the states of the Federation and the 774 local councils. On the spot assessment visits on human and capital development one hardly find anything meaningful and tangible more than mere ghost of the local areas and its people. The monies had been carted and stashed elsewhere by the former state executives leaving the citizenry under the harsh condition of penury and underdevelopment for their personal and ego – centric benefits. So what happens to the corruption in our local government councils? In the history of this nation and at the local council level, our people had never been confronted with this kind of naked abuse of their resources or what one can describe in a civilized society as broad daylight robbery, not until, the advent of this fourth republic under Obasanjo Presidency.

Our 36 states of the Federation including Abuja and most of their previous executives, could be regarded to be the worst experiment of governance, we as a people and a nation ever had, though, most of them replicate what was happening at the centre. Fortunately and unfortunately for the populace, these chiefs and their administrations received incomes from crude oil sales, excess crude oil sales, royalties and petroleum taxes, Value Added Taxes, internally generated revenues among few more than any other governments at the state level in our 47 years of existence as a sovereign nation.

If Nigeria were a developed and civilized society and the leadership within this period under review, were honest and sincere, this country would have assumed the model and standard of countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, some among the Asian Tigers. Some of our states would have equal the place and position of Dubai that has now become a centre of attraction, business and tourism in terms of development and economic growth. But, the monies were never seen nor the development except individually and no other people, but themselves and their immediate families. Therefore, what would the Antonio UN body consider this?

In just recent, over N300million was returned to the government of Plateau State being part of the monies stolen by their former governor, Joshua Chibi Dariye, Da Michael Boetmang, former deputy governor, who managed the affairs of the state for 5 to 6 months only was quizzed by EFCC for fraud running into millions of Naira. Another over N400 million was suppose to be claimed by the government of Bayelsa State as part of the monies stolen by their former governor, Diephreiye Alamiesiagha.

These were only a tip of an iceberg, number of them got away with “plea for bargain”, in other words, returning some of the substantial part of the ill–gotten wealth in place of their freedom. Some Scot free, because they were in the good book of Obasanjo, those in war with him or their present state executives, faced allegation charges or standing trials. Imagine the confession of the former governor of Jigawa State, Saminu Ibrahim Turaki for donating N 10billion to the 3^rd term project, today Jigawa State, is being rated as the poorest and underdeveloped by UNDP report index in the country.

More so, most of the former executives left a domestic debt running into billions of Naira beside Federal allocations, Local Government funds and Internally generated revenue. Loan had been taken and the money had disappeared, even Bauchi State that was celebrating series of developmental changes, left a backlog of bank loan and local government funds unaccounted by the past government of Adamu Mu’azu. Latest news around, the former governor of Delta State, James Onanefi Ibori, has been charged to court by EFCC for corruption and as reported by Leadership newspaper, he made an attempt of bribing the EFCC chairman, with an outrageous amount of $15million.

Federal high court in Lagos, has equally remanded in custody, former governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose for mismanaging N1.4 billion. All these, were just a part of the so far uncovered stolen monies within the period under review.

Therefore, if one is to go on and on, one discovers that, the level of leakages and pilferages in the last eight year dispensation of President Olusegun Obasanjo, from the 1^st to the 3^rd tier of the system was quite unbecoming and unprecedented. Yet, the Executive Director and its UN office on Drugs and Crimes, scores Obasanjo and his government of being the most saint among the rest. Our analyst and columnist, to date, refuse to counter–react with verifiable and clarified facts and figures against this UN body, reason best known to them.

However, I am sorry to say, if the criteria and yardstick employed by the UN office on drugs and crimes, was based on; monies siphoned out of the country to foreign banks by these our leaders was what formed their assessment and the outcome therein, the body must be said to have miscalculated.

Dr. Antonio Maria Costa and its UN body, never heard about some of these our immediate past leaders that are regarded kings in countries like South Africa, Hungary, Sao Tome Principe, part of Europe, Asia and America, because of their investments holdings? Nor, heard about, some of our successful businessmen in the country, holding in trust, investments of some of these our immediate past leaders? No, even bother to look at their flamboyant life style with their wards. Where have they gotten the monies for that and the substantial investment holdings, home and abroad?

Other areas of measurement are, standard of living of our people, natural disasters and calamities, Is Antonio and the UN body aware of the high rate of human dilapidation in the country, erosion menace, desert encroachment, air and road mishap because of neglect compared to what were in existence before 1999 and with far less revenue combined together?

The only way the UN office on drugs and Crimes can come out with comprehensive and realistic data on corruption ranking in Nigeria between governments and leaders, is for them to take a holistic assessment of the activities of the previous leaders and the eight year leadership of Obasanjo on corruption, human and sectoral development and the economy generally, within and outside the shore of the country. That, I believe would give them the clearest picture on corruption in Nigeria between leaders and their governments. Championing a cause, is not too good a reason to exonerate a leader and his government, his regime, must be part of the assessment, if we have to genuinely be fair to all and their administrations.

Antonio Maria Costa and the UN office on drugs and crimes, shouldn’t limit their findings on monies being carted away by our leaders to foreign accounts only. They should consider their investments holdings home and abroad, source information and data from EFCC, TI, other similar organizations and the Nigerian populace, assess their human and capital development for the economy, it might have moved to a proportionate level, but it is still abnormal if you compare with other related indices, in order to produce a justifiable, un-debunk, undistorted and undisputable result.