For years, Nigerians have heard about celebrity looters of public funds who are today walking freely and enjoying their ill-gotten wealth. In some cases, the judiciary declared them above the law and ruled that no one should arrest them. The thinking of many is that no nation makes progress that way.
I hope you read about the high level self-adulation by the leadership of Nigeria’s electoral commission. How Ghana borrowed its model to score the bull’s eye last Saturday? Methinks that some people should rather cover their faces in shame.
“Many people have said that it is not enough for the Commissions to expose corruption without taking actions to ensure that corruption is either stamped out or drastically reduced.”
EFCC’s slap-on-the-wrist punishment won’t check corruption
As long as thieves, “big thieves” are allowed to walk away after entering into a plea bargain; as long as none of them is given public execution to act as deterrent, the fight against corruption will continue to be a waste of time in Nigeria.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) have continued to report their activities, listing numerous corruption cases they have either prosecuted or are prosecuting. But it would seem that the efforts of the Commissions are not yielding the desired results.
Nigeria has continued to be seen as a nation that is “fantastically” corrupt. The question should be, why then do we have the Commissions when corruption has remained intractable?
Many people have said that it is not enough for the Commissions to expose corruption without taking actions to ensure that corruption is either stamped out or drastically reduced.
Read also: Corruption in government alarming despite crackdown – EFCC
Over the years, the EFCC has discovered large amounts of money stashed in unlikely places, but its inability to set an example with those linked with such heinous crimes may have emboldened others to continue in the maleficence.
While the majority of Nigerians languish in penury, public office holders have continued to steal the commonwealth, even to the tune of what they do not need. These stolen funds are reportedly being hidden in real estate and in other unimaginable places within the country.
It has often been said that some major cities in the country are littered with unoccupied estates that were built with stolen funds. Some of the stolen funds are also said to be stashed away in farms, septic tanks and ‘bunkers’ built in private residences.
“The question is, what has happened to those who have been apprehended in connection with high level corruption in Nigeria?”
Some time ago, Yakubu Dogara, a former speaker, House of Representatives, was quoted as saying: “As we speak, they are recovering monies from someone’s farm somewhere around Abuja. It is very unfortunate, where people stole money just for the sake of stealing. If you were the one who was in charge of fighting corruption, you would have even been shocked by the scale of the problem.”
It shows that the agencies saddled with the fight against corruption cannot even scratch the surface. The porous system in Nigeria may have encouraged criminals of all shades to thrive in Nigeria.
For instance, many courts in Nigeria are filled with cases of public office holders that defrauded the country. The cases have continued to linger because the accused often compromise the judiciary, resulting in delays and in many cases, restraints placed on arrest of those accused of stealing public funds.
The question is, what has happened to those who have been apprehended in connection with high level corruption in Nigeria?
Former state governors hardly get convicted and punished despite the public’s perception that they are terribly corrupt.
They know that even if anybody takes them to court, the case will not be decided for over 20 years; they are not afraid. A former governor of a state accused of stealing billions of naira belonging to the public was walking with a swagger to the EFCC office and to the court. He is confident that the inconveniences will be brief, then he returns to his kingly lifestyle.
What has become a recurring decimal is that after the EFCC must have shouted itself hoarse to create an impression that something serious is happening, before long, everything dies down and is forgotten.
In more saner countries, those who steal public funds are not pampered. If the stolen funds exceed a certain threshold, the thief is publicly executed to put fear in others. But in Nigeria, they are pampered and given a slap on the wrist.
Some years back, the EFCC said it recovered $9.8 million from Andrew Yakubu, former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), in Kaduna.
Another sum of £74,000 (Seventy-Four Thousand Pound Sterling) cash was also reportedly recovered from him. The huge cash was hidden in a fireproof safe. The man was to later demand the return of the seized money to him. The case has since died.
Nigerians cannot forget in a hurry the widely reported case of 43 million US dollars and other currencies at an upscale apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos. The anti-graft agency said it raided the apartment after a tipoff about a “haggard” woman in “dirty clothes” taking bags in and out of the apartment.
In a shocking turn of events, the then National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki claimed he approved the funds for “special services” he mandated the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to undertake. Up till today, no one knows what those “special services” were.
The huge cash, which included $43,449,947, £27,800 and N23,218,000, were recovered following a tip-off to the EFCC by an unnamed whistleblower.
Some time ago, operatives of the EFCC, following a tip-off, broke into Alex Badeh, Air Chief Marshal, and former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) room, ransacked the ceiling of the farmhouse and even went into underground septic tanks in search of money they claimed he had hidden on the farm.
At that time reports had it that huge sums of money in various currencies were stored in a septic tank in a farm that belonged to Badeh, in Kugwuru village, Karu, Nasarawa State.
Truth is, if nothing drastic is done, Nigeria will continue to dance at a spot in the guise of fighting corruption.
The other day, the EFCC announced that it seized 753 duplexes and other apartments on Plot 109 Cadastral Zone C09, Lokogoma District, Abuja, but refused to make public the identity of the owner of the estate.
Although the agency had described the seizure as the largest single asset recovery in its history, it did not think that naming and shaming the thieves could help its job. What the secrecy simply means is that the agency is only a recovery outfit, and not one to check corruption in Nigeria.
Many Nigerians have continued to criticise the EFCC for not disclosing the identity of “big thieves” in society. Too bad!
Ghana’s electoral feat and Nigeria’s celebration
It is said that everything rises or falls on leadership. The electoral commission in Ghana has shown that credible election is a sine qua non for a successful democracy, and that it is possible in Africa.
The people of Ghana went to the poll last week in an election that has been commended across the world. The exercise was conducted seamlessly and the result announced and accepted at a record time without manipulations. There have been no reports of any candidate or party that has gone to court to allege electoral fraud.
While collation was still on, Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of New Patriotic Party congratulated his rival on winning the presidency, saying: “The people have voted for change.”
Read also: Giant of Africa? Ghana’s flawless presidential election beams spotlight on Nigeria’s INEC
The main opposition candidate addressed the press to concede defeat, saying that the process was transparent. He also rallied all Ghanaians to support the in-coming administration of John Mahama.
Expectedly, the Nigerian government has since commended the process. Mahmood Yakubu, chairman, Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) even claimed that the Ghana electoral commission understudied him to pull off the brilliant outing.
The claim has been jeered in many quarters. Critics wondered why he could make such a claim when Nigeria’s elections have continued to attract opprobrium and global spat. In fact, it is the belief of many that in saner climes, Yakubu would have voluntarily resigned after the manifest bungling of the 2023 general election.
In the estimation of many Nigerians, Yakubu did not have the moral high ground to celebrate the Ghanaian election. Nigeria was supposed to lead the way when it comes to organising a credible election, with all the abundant human and material resources available to the country, far greater than what is found in Ghana.
In the last Saturday election in Ghana, the people were allowed to make their choice and their choice was respected. No one bullied anyone. Electoral fraud was not widespread unlike what happens in Nigeria every election cycle.
No one heard about voter intimidation, vote-buying, over-militarisation of the process, ballot-box snatching, glitches in result upload, mutilation of result sheets, or wide-scale violence.
The election was simply smooth and the results were released to the acceptance of everyone. The Ghanaian election is just a shame on Nigeria. Rather than gloating over the role Nigeria played in making the exercise seamless, those in charge of the electoral process in Nigeria should bow their heads in shame.
What Ghana’s successful outing has done is to further demystify Nigeria. By the way, it was the failure of the out-going administration in Ghana to improve the economy and guarantee quality of life for the citizens that moved the people to pass what could be termed a referendum against the government in power.
The sitting government could not thwart the will of the people. The people spoke and the system honoured their voice.
Will those who are clinking glasses over their contribution to Ghana’s success story take a look at themselves in the mirror and ask, “how sincere am I in enthroning transparency and credibility in Nigeria’s electoral process?” Mtchew!
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
