May 29, 2017, marks the second anniversary of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, and with it comes the second anniversary of the government’s trumpeted change. It remains to be seen if indeed there is much, if anything, to celebrate yet.
Corruption remains the major slur in an otherwise promising country like Nigeria, which should have been the envy of the world, considering its natural endowments. This could have given it a galloping ascendance to modernity but for its thieving leaders, who preferred instead to strip their mother naked to international and local ridicule. This was actually to blame for the gruesome strike of the Five Majors that truncated the First Republic. What followed that action was, perhaps, more corrupt that the system it intended to correct. It led to genocide against the Igbo and a bloody civil war, leaving deep cleavages and wounds that are yet to heal. It led to coups and counter-coups that threw up ravenous militocrats, who compounded the problem and entrenched corruption as a badge of statesmanship. The succeeding civilian governments continued in the same hue, some even not seeing stealing as corruption and so stole Nigeria blind, plunging the country into the most vicious recession ever. That has remained the parlous state of this country, so blessed yet so deplorably wretched.
The blame is not in God who deposited so much wealth under the belly of our earth. The blame is with us who abuse the grace of God and choose the easy way to wealth, the way of perdition.
Obviously, I was excited when President Buhari made the war against corruption a cardinal plank of his administration. Yes, I have been a strong supporter of the anti-corruption policy of the Federal Government led by the All Progressives Congress (APC). I am of the impression that the war has succeeded in putting fear in the hearts of kleptomaniacs and to some extent further exposed the rut of the fowl that ate the corn.
The war has been described as selective, which is largely true. Nevertheless, beyond the morality of the method of prosecuting the war, I believe you cannot take on all your enemies at the same time. Perhaps, the President wants to fight from the outside coming in, in which case those who parade themselves as friends of the President or Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thieves now canonised saints in APC should not be too hasty in rejoicing because the Sword of Damocles (sorry, Buhari) still looms overhead and so should not deceive themselves about escaping judgment yet. Moreover, one is taken aback by the confession of most of the suspects and the huge sums being recovered or returned to government coffers. These are certainly not simulated.
Be that as it may, I do not think that we have achieved much in this war, which has been mostly theatrical, witnessing more motion without movement, more noise than reason. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the major anti-graft agency, has scared away potential investors by its ceaseless flow of publicity stunts. Unfortunately, these gambits hurt the economy more than anything else, as investors would be wary to trust their wealth in the hands of a wonky and roguish system. The EFCC, in a bid to sustain its relevance, always hurries to court and ends up losing its wishy-washy cases, only for them to moon over tales about corruption fighting back. In any case, is it expected that corruption would fight back? Being the source of livelihood of some people, they would definitely wish to continue thriving. It is the duty of the agency to tighten all loose ends of its cases before presenting them to the judge. The courts deal with evidence and it would be preposterous of any judge to convict a suspect based on sentiments for fear of being tagged pro-corruption despite midnight raids on residences of judicial officers. It leaves a suspicion that rather than corruption fighting back, the EFCC has no real commitment to winning the war and, therefore, sabotages its own cases.
The government has established the whistle-blower policy to help the fight. However, even that policy has been afflicted by this all-pervading virus of corruption. Nigerians now want to become rich at the expense of others. That was why two rogue whistle-blowers are now having their day in court when they blew their broken tokunbo or China whistles falsely. Another suspect whose monthly take home pay was N25,000 helped himself to his employer’s N24 million. Greed kept him going until he was nabbed and began threatening the man he stole from with whistle-blowing. Up Naija!
The thrust of this article though is that the vaunted anti-corruption war is a non-starter. I think I was under the illusion that a Daniel had come to judgment. Corruption is still stalking the Nigerian soil menacingly, getting more emboldened by the day. Corruption is not only about money. Corruption is about wrong mindset, thought and virtually all malicious emotions and acts that are typical of the Buhari administration.
When stolen monies become orphans, it is corruption. The implication is that the monies are planted for the propaganda project of the government and its anti-graft agency or there is a cover-up. When recovered loot is stashed away somewhere while Nigerians dive into oceans in frustration and hunger, it is corruption. It is either the monies have been re-looted or awaiting re-looting at the right time, especially 2019. When a particular section of the country is brazenly trampled upon and shut out of government due to inherent hatred, it is corruption. It is either the people are being told they have no portion in the house of Israel or being challenged to do their worst, yet not allowing them to go fend for themselves the best way they can. When the President’s kindred are given the lion share of political patronage at the expense of the larger society, it is corruption. What could be more corrupt than a government of hatred by cronyism and for nepotism? When a government mounts the saddle on duplicitous premises, it is corruption. When known thieves sponsor a government to power, and government stealthily white washes their sins whereas other thieves remain tarred for refusing to jump ship, it is corruption. When government plays yoyo with its promised change with regard to where it should begin or it becomes a chain, strangulating the people, it is corruption. It is either the people have been duped or the government is blind and rudderless. When, after two years, a government still has its eyes fixated on the rear view mirror of the preceding government, blaming it for its foibles, it is corruption. It is either the government is inept, confused or marooned and does not have the right spirit to so confess to the people and throw in the towel.
As 2019 beckons, let Nigerians ‘shine their eyes well well’ and refuse to be deceived by any anti-corruption scheme. Without exception, we are all corrupt, even the voters that buy into dummies for pecuniary interests. So, while we are crying for the government to get its act together, especially in the prosecution of the war against corruption, Nigerians should also gear up to exorcise the spirit of greed that makes them to mortgage the nation’s collective destiny for a mere pittance and illusive grandeur.