“THE war against corruption cannot have meaning until those at the helm begin to live by example,” Late President Yar’Adua’s spokesman told reporters, while distributing copies of Yar’Adua’s assets declaration form dated May 28, 2007, which was foreign to public officials in Nigeria.
Therefore, accurate and verifiable declaration of assets by public officials and expunging of the immunity clause are veritable actions that could be taken soon to discourage a situation where public officials are living in cupidity while the masses seethe in penury. If immediate action is not taken, I am afraid the problem will exacerbate. Thus, a vortex of corruption, poverty, unemployment, bad leadership, and inequality in the distribution of wealth will ferment the restiveness and consequent violence that may eventually engulf the nation.
Indubitably, corruption, a perennial problem in Nigeria, has hobbled and stunted the country’s economic and social development with no end in sight. Sadly, it has been vermin in all sectors of Nigeria’s socio-economic environment and its upsurge among the political elite is quite troubling as the policymakers huddle to come up with policies for economic growth.
It is a seeming enigma that stymies the arc of probity while paralyzing all efforts to make public officials accountable. As a consequence, culture of corruption is stubbornly intertwined with popular culture; the acceptance of the phenomenon has allowed corruption to be the norm.
This unfortunate view of corruption in Nigeria is buttressed by the 2012 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices submitted to the United States Congress on April 19, 2013 by the Secretary of State, Secretary John Kerry. The report characterized corruption in Nigerian government as “massive, widespread, and pervasive” affecting all facets of the government as the laws and their applications to fight corruption are virtually ineffectual. Referring to the law enforcement and other government officials, the report said, “…officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. Massive, widespread, and pervasive corruption affected all levels of government and the security forces.”
The detailed report, which the past Nigerian government objected, further implicated the judiciary in its active participation in corruption. Regrettably, the Nigerian judiciary appears to be an accessory to the systemic corruption problem facing the country. The Human Rights Reports said, “There was a widespread perception that judges were easily bribed and that litigants could not rely on the courts to render impartial judgments. Citizens encountered long delays and alleged requests from judicial officials for bribes to expedite cases or obtain favorable rulings.”
The Human Rights Reports, which could be accessed on www.State.gov and www.HumanRights.gov, is in its 36th year of existence also held, “Police corruption remained rampant, particularly at highway checkpoints. Police routinely stopped drivers who did not commit traffic infractions, refusing to allow them to continue until they paid bribes.”
Furthermore, on June 10-11, 2013, U.S. Embassy hosted a two-day anti-corruption program in Abuja, where corruption in Nigeria took the center stage. Speaking in the program, Peter Ainsworth, US Justice Department official alarmed that corruption in Nigerian government is still endemic.
Graft in government is one of the main challenges facing every administration in Nigeria. No matter how hard the government tries, the problem has eaten deep into the fabric of the society. Corruption flourishes at every level of the society.
To gain employment, if one does not have the money to pay, the person will not be recruited. However, President Buhari’s ardent fight against corruption lurks perfectly behind any other success in his economic programs. In other words, the success in fight against corruption would beget success in other economic development programs.
Thus, the imperative of winning the war against corruption in the country is now and it is widely agreed to by well-meaning Nigerians because corruption perpetuates inequality, among other ills.
The introductory quote and the foregoing commentary underscore the urgent need to wipe out corruption in Nigeria. They aptly capture the imperative of continued genuine fight against corruption both public and private sectors. As a result, the Buhari administration would work diligently to curb corruption.
Interestingly, the first step in fighting corruption is cleansing leaders of corrupt culture and vestiges of corruption. Leaders must lead by example; they should be devoid of corruption and venal tendencies, especially with the realization of the enormous impact of corrupt culture on governance, education, investment, economy, and development programs. The task then becomes how to cleanse public officials of corrupt tendency. Part of the answer is assets declaration.
Knowing that corruption in government is a curse that drains a country’s institutions and impedes the economic foundation for sustainable economic growth, it is imperative for the public to demand an immediate action.