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Fighting Corruption in Nigeria By Prof. Femi Ajayi According to an African proverb, "A leader without good advisers is like a blind man being led by a child." friend threw a joke on my dinning table when I was enjoying my pounded yam, egunsi soup, bush meat, and a keg of fresh palm wine, just set for me by my Darling Wife of three memorable hilarious decades: "Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was in a meeting with Senators, Representative Members, State Governors, Federal Executive Council, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) NNPC, the Pensions Task Force Chairman, Directors and Service Chiefs and news came that armed robbers were robbing Central Bank. The President was confused and said "how can that be possible when all the robbers are here with me at the Villa". What a joke! Pathetically, in December 2011 Nigeria was ranked 143rd out of 183 surveyed countries in terms of public perception of corruption. That was reported in a detailed assessment carried out by global watchdog, Transparency International (TI). It was the 134th in 2010 and still maintained its score of 2.4 out of a possible 10 marks for the 2011. According to the report, released in Berlin, Germany, December 1, 2011, in the latest global Corruption Perception Index (CPI), New Zealand emerged first with a score of 9.5, where 0 signifies the highest level of corruption perception and 10 portrays a country that is "totally clean" of corruption. Somalia came last with a ranking of 183 and a perception score of 1.0, tying with North Korea, which was included in the global CPI for the first time. The North African nation also came last in 2010, with a ranking of 17 8 and 1.1 marks. In Africa, Botswana came first with a ranking of 32nd and a score of 6.1, while Cape Verde emerged the best-ranked country in West Africa with a ranking of 41st and a score of 5.5. Ghana, was, however, ran ked 69th globally, with a score of 3.9. In a country where the operators embezzled the meagre welfare package for the retirees and some of them died waiting on line to collect their retirement benefits; Health insurance and housing packages have been eliminated; and in some cases salaries are not regular, the issue of corruption is endemic. The civil servants prepare for their retirement by inflating any public project that comes their ways, regardless. It does afford them to send their children to the best schools within and outside the country, building mansions all over the world, with chains of exotic vehicles and travel abroad for simple catarrh. It is in Nigeria where a carpenter became a millionaire within months of getting into the public office. It is in Nigeria where an Assistant Store Keeper would have in his savings account within a year, equivalent to 6 years salaries of the Principal of a Secondary School. Definitely the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission are finding it very difficult to rid Nigeria of corruption, as some of their staff is seriously neck-deep in corrupt practices. Neither imprisonment nor plead bargaining would deter an average public servant from getting corrupt. The change of Nigerians' mindset not taking what is not theirs would do the magic of drastically minimizing corruption. Bode George returned from prison as a hero. Interestingly the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, under who he served, attended his Thanksgiving Service while Bode George returned directly from prison. Changing of Nigerians' Mindset has to start from the classrooms so that Lecturers, Teachers will teach the youth some hard core values on decency. Ironically Nigerian Youth of today (April 2012) have been trained and brainwashed that no other ways to a better life except through corruption. They have been stuffed with the mindset of violence, deceit, fraud, lies cued from the Military incursion into governance in Nigeria. Unfortunately the new breed of politician is hiding behind law making process to defraud with so me bogus allowances. Despite its vast resources, Nigeria ranks among the most unequal countries in the world, according to the United Nations. The poverty in the north is in stark contrast to the more developed southern states. While in the oil-rich south-east, the residents of Delta Region complain that all the wealth they generate flows up the pipeline to develop Abuja. Ironically poverty has risen in Nigeria, with almost 100 million people living on less than a $1 (A30.63) a day, despite its economic growth. The National Bureau of Statistics reported that 60.9% of Nigerians, as of 2010, were living in "absolute poverty", which represents about 112.47 million. From the Nigeria's National Bureau of Statistics, in 1980 it was 17.1 million; 1985: 34.7 million; 1992: 39.2 million; 1996: 67.1 million; 2004: 68.7 million; and 112.47 million in 2010. Some past Nigerian leaders would be pigeonholed as the undisputed leader of the locusts and father of modern day corruption in Nigeria. These self conceited, duplicitous, beguiled, crooked acts stink to high heavens and this fraud legacy of corruption has wrecked Nigeria to the marrows. There are many approaches being used for corrupt practices in Nigeria. It is either direct, or under the cover of something religious, ethnic or humanitarian gesture. Boko Haram dealt some blows to the ancient City of Kano in February 2012; the Governor of Central Bank, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, seized the opportunity to 'donate' N100 million to the victims. The question on the lips of most Nigerians has been what happened to the sympathetic veins of Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi to the victims of same sects attack in Borno, Yobe, Plateau and Adamawa States, most especially the bomb blast at St. Theresa Catholic Church at Madalla, Suleja on December 25, 2011 on the Christmas Day. This type of remote policy is characteristic of Nigerian leadership, cumulated with lack of sprite that weakens most of Nigerian institutions. Where is Sanusi's moral justification in isolating other victims over the 'goodies' because he is graciously to emerge from Kano, as the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor. When would this discriminative hide out corruption going to end in the highly inflicted ethnic xenophobia in this God's own l and of multi national nations called Nigeria? A school of thought would argue that numerous government agencies are involved in acts of corporate irresponsibility. Another approach to corruption style in Nigeria is the lawmakers endorsing about N71 billion self-allocated allowances in the 2012 budget. Such allowance is enough to inject 450 Megawatts of power into the national gri d, or build a 450MW power plant for Nigeria. The sum will complete Abuja-Lokoja road if well tailored. Another approach being enacted by the incubators of corruption, the Nigeria National Assembly, is to pay certain contractors in US Dollars and Euros. That is a better method of siphoning Nigeria economy to foreign countries while Sanusi is watching as to know how Nigeria would get to the 20:20/20 vision. Possibly Nigeria might have to change its currency to Euros and Dollars so that all other workers in the country would start getting their salaries in foreign currency. It would help Nigerian Civil Servants to have a field-day in corrupt practices as dollar rates change in hours. In effect all Nigerian contractors and salaries must be paid in dollars; or change Niger ia currency, Naira, to Dollars. The government hires ten people for what only two people can do, making the other eight employees redundant. That is a waste and an avenue for corruption. Even among the ten, it could be only five are on record, while the remaining five goes into individual officials. In advanced countries where citizens do not take law into their hands, they would take their employers to Court for a redress. Across the world, aggrieved citizens would do their protests on weekends and return to work Monday, while those who work on weekends would not abandon their job for protests. In Nigeria, where no one cares about the law, including some leaders, aggrieved citizens would protest on weekdays and suspend their protests on weekends for their Owambe parties, because they wanted to be paid for the days not worked. Unfortunately the Employers would turn around and compensate absentee workers for work not done. An individual involved in the January 2012 6-day Oil subsidy removal strike in Nigeria stated, 'Nobody is interested in strike, but it seems that is only way Nija people can take things from Govt. I ran into the protesters hands while coming from night duty that Monday morning (January 10, 2012); I explained to them, {they said} 'Talo ran e nise' {Who sent you to work} I was so lucky that the police came at the right time, so they started shooting, so I quickly reversed to go and the main express, since then I've been a home; So I don't like strike as well.' Nigerians are awaiting the outcome of the Oyo State Governor to apply the policy of 'no work no pay' against any worker who failed to resume work for rejecting the least paid staff on GL 01 who used to earn N10, 876.47 the sum of N19, 987 and the highest paid staff on GL 17 who used to earn N72, 004 N139, 440.55. A register for all workers has been opened and the government would deal decisively with absentees." I believe that 99.99999 percent of Nigerians are against the removal of oil subsidy because it is a pain on their living. It is another indication that the Nigerian Government is the largest employer, breeding corruption, with little for the private corporations to handle. For instance the Government has no business in Hotel business, and other unnecessary ventures. Private individuals should be allowed the opportunity to manage those ventures not the Federal Government where there are no returns from its investment. The Government pays more on those ventures without any returns. If you want to catch a thief you behave like one; which actually encouraged Obasanjo's administration to set up ICPC and EFCC and he has to be corrupt also to know where the sources of corrupt-laden for the country leaders are. After setting up the ICPC and EFCC private individuals are being used to get the money from the government, especially from the oil proceedings. The refineries were poorly maintained, crippled other related industries and Nigeria has been turned into a consumer country importing energy with the abundant oil and gas, importing shoes in the midst of plenty of hides and skins, importing starch when Nigeria produces abundant cassava, and importing textiles with the large acres of arable cotton belt in Nigeria. In the course of fighting corruption, the anti corruption agencies have been infected with dishonest practices and compromised on Police Pension F und. The estimated N21 billion pension funds was allegedly looted by Mr. Maina Abdulrasheed, Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) and compromised by some staff of EFCC, ICPC, and some top Police Officers managing the Police Pension Fund. Most Nigerians have been joined by some other frustrated Nigerian leaders with some headline news such as: civil service gulps N3trillion annually; 107 Federal agencies have never submitted annual accounts; Nigeria paid mo re than 2 trillion Naira to Fraudulent Fuel Importers in 2011 Alone. The Chie f Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Dahiru Musdapher stated that Nigeria is one of the most corrupt countries in the world as corruption permeates all facets of the country's life. Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime s Commission, EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, expressed the shock that EFCC has been seriously infected with high standard corruption. Atiku would allege that Obasanjo stole $2.8 million from the NNPC account as he was the Prime Minister for the Petroleum Ministry throughout his time as the President from 1999-2007. Nuhu Ribadu, the pioneer EFCC Chairman, stated that corruption was more during Obasanjo's administration than that of Abacha. Nasir El-Rufai, former Director-General of the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), told Ambassador Jeter that former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar had corruptly manipulated the NITEL GSM Equipment contract award in favor of Ericsson and that this case is just one example of what is commonly practiced in the Executive branch, for example, cushioning or manipulating contracts for personal and political gain. Nigeria's corruption rating has taken a leap for the worse as Transparency International (TI) has said that Nigerian civil servants alone took bribes worth over N450 billion ($3b) in the last one year (2011). Does it mean that an average Public Servant is a robber, with his pen? In March 2012, Prophet Dare Iyunade, the President of Pentecostal Sanctuary Bible Ministry, Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, advised that Nigeria should emulate China to incorporate a law to make corruption punishable by death. His corruption theory includes oath-taking, cultism, robbery, corruption, embezzlement of public funds and destruction of good legacies left behind by past administrations. His remedy is for Nigerians to return to God. Unfortunately some of Nigerian Associations leaders Abroad are not transparent enough by not releasing statements of their Association's account. The same thing they are accusing the Nigerian Government of. As the economy around the world is shrinking, Nigerians residing Abroad remittances have g one down, from $12 billion (2010) to about $5 billion in the current year (2012). Foreign countries are tightening up their borders, jailing the bribe promoters the road is getting narrower for the public corrupt leaders in t he United Kingdom and United States of America, most especially. Jonathan may not be a perfect Veterinary Doctor; nevertheless he is a better manager who has experimented on the animals to detect some human behavior. One the main source of the corrupt ridden Nigeria is OIL proceed s. Oil subsidy is the number one source of Corruption in Nigeria that MUST go for good. However the looters must cough out their loots. A school of thought is of the opinion that 'an average Nigerian is not corrupt', however, the country operates a corrupt system'. Therefore an average Nigerian is potentially and seriously corrupt. In effect it will be Nigerians to give the direction on how to fight corruption to the barest minimum level, helping EFCC and ICPC in their efforts to rid Nigeria of corruption . Nigerians are on the song of praise, 'God give us leaders, straight and narrow, kind and good; clay-footed men, selfless, giving and godly with hearts of gold. Men whose needs are few but whose hearts are large.' Where is that Saint among Nigerian Leaders? Could we say that despite the full house of Nigerians in hell, there could still be an entrance to go through the back door? So Help Us God! ************* Professor Femi Ajayi is Head, Political Science and Public Administration Department, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State of Nigeria |