Chris Nwedo
…many corrupt government officials who have billions of naira corruption charges hanging over their heads used parts of the stolen funds to sponsor various brand of crisis in the country to prevent the possibility of indictment and jail.
In most states of Africa, corruption is perceived as a sure demonstration of a failed attempt at politics of good governance. Corruption is today presupposed the greatest obstacle to institution of factors that help democracy and good governance work. Corruption is an impediment to authentic economic growth and social development, and in many ramifications a starving factor for Africa’s democratic politics. Today, no country in Africa is saved from the ravages of this scourge. The most surprising of all is the report that Southern Sudan, which a coupled of mouths ago seceded from Sudan is reportedly crippled by this insidious plague. The report demonstrated that all the funds budgeted for infrastructure development, health, education and agriculture were diverted into individual coffers while the general impression was that the government is indifferent to the evolving disparaging trend.
Like in many other nations of Africa, corruption is a phenomenon robustly wrecking the foundations of Nigerian nation at least in the last four decades. The basic modes of corruption in Nigeria include bribery, fraudulently stealing away of public funds marked for infrastructure and social services. Corruption accounts for unlimited resources used by the political classes and the patrons which until this day has continued destabilizing the nation’s democratic institutions and stopped impenitently the democratization processes. It is the source of funds for settling political thugs, for financing the purchase of lethal weapons for political and social unrest and gives the all layers of godfathers the effrontery for intimidation and subordination of the rivalries and subversion of electoral processes. ‘Frequently enough, the dishonest contractors and suppliers who, having obtained the contract by undercutting, deliver inferior services or get the approval for sub-standard work’, and are prepared to spend portions of their ill-earned profits for subverting the systems of law and order.1
It was speculated that many corrupt government officials who have billions of naira corruption charges hanging over their heads used parts of the stolen funds to sponsor various brand of crisis in the country to prevent the possibility of indictment and jail. For instance, if Nigerian breaks apart today, these corrupt individuals are automatically free to spend the billions without any challenge. The insatiable ego of the political leaders is the obstacle impinging national progress politically, economically and socially. This is why, generally, in the states of Africa there are no strong-willed people-oriented agendas by the leaders to trigger gainful employment, improvement in quality of education and no concrete support for health sector. When these beacons of organic society are deserted to degrade, the society entirely is bound to suffer grievously with pockets of resentments, uncertainty and insecurity.
However, to make this reflection easier and specific, I am using Nigeria as a sample representing all states of Africa where lack of accountability and corruption are crippling the way forward in the stride for democratization, and social economic development.
The disgusting contours of socio-economic and political development in Nigeria are objectively attributable in part to rebellious strains of corruption which metaphorically forced national growth or development to genuflection. The miasma of corruption is believed to have intensified and sustained active rancor, discontentment and a striking atmosphere of desperation among the Nigerian people. Many scholars and public affairs commentators hypothesised that corruption is one of the countless unresolved problems that have critically hobbled and twisted the nation’s development out of shape. Corruption recurrently remains a long-term major political and economic challenge for Nigeria. It is a canker worm that has eaten deep into the fabric of the nation. It evolved like meteor from inconsequential brown-envelope to institutional diversion of billions of dollars into private accounts. Today in Nigeria corruption is a forceful encumbrance to the responsibility of the governance to deliver basic social services, it stunted national growth and development and circumvented effectiveness of officers charged with administration of justice.
Rozeff M.S. in Nwedo C.O. observed that when governance is working properly, based on both proper laws and proper administration of those laws, it supports and encourages peace which sets the stage for individual well-being, and societal growth in wealth. Proper governance has a hand in decreasing crime, protecting life and property, settling conflicts and disputes, facilitating exchanges that help man satisfy his material, emotional, and spiritual needs, supporting trust and cooperation, and maintaining and transmitting social capital.2 Good governance can be an expression or character of civilized social order. It supports accountability, justness, stability and quality development.
Civilized social order is comparable to a society dedicated to justice, a society that does not compromise the dignity and welfare of its citizens. In a society of this kind, people are more conscientious, transparent and meaningfully seek the common good with apparent objectivity. This contrasts society of worms where everyone feels suffocated and then rides and feeds on the other to survive. This society is characterized by denial of the bounds of fraternity and principles of working together, and owes no one open and righteous relationship. In this society, devotion to the self, works actively against justice, true godliness, integrity, truth and honest actions. These factors are the definitive qualities vital for a progressive and virile society.
It is in the absence of the mood for mutual support and sincerity that weeds of treachery are sown and surreptitiously fertilised in falsehood and subversive politics. The general atmosphere in the contemporary Nigeria is that of an offensive relativism caused and sustained by polarisation of the sections of the society. In the routine, nothing is good and nothing is bad. The rationalisation of truth and morality in the country has neither supported the growth and civilisation of the society nor helped the proponents of the evil ideology. Alternatively, these dispositions have significantly ruined our senses of godliness and commitment to duty of nationalism. No lie and duplicity support the course of God and no treacherous politics builds a nation. To evolve a progressive Nigeria and repel the tribulations of wrong ways, more is needed from both Raphael and Razak. This is because a farm taken over by weeds can be restored only by hard labour. The odious weeds, apparently, are the missing links between Nigeria and a prosperous society.
The overt effects of dishonesty in Nigeria have been the perpetuation of intractable troubles such as lethal religious attacks, kidnapping enterprises, violent destruction of lives and properties, marginalization and collective impoverishment. Feelings of tribalism and nepotism that at some points became doused in the previous governments are speedily on the rise with the new political order, personified by Buhari/APC government. The sentiments are becoming overt and irritating and the impacts are orchestrating more troubles for the wearied nation.
It will remain lamentable that some Nigerian politicians defraud, falsify facts, sponsor violence, kill and destroy to gain political positions which have become platforms for stealing and massive expropriation of national wealth. Political power is not known to have made better an evil man that took it by force or fraud, rather it fuels and multiplies the capacity of the evil man to do more evil and cause more havoc. This accounts for the reasons why Nigerians who imprudently looted the nation are redressed, rebranded and given more opportunities to continue the ruin with more power and freedom. This is done either in the spirit of ‘benevolent transformation agenda’ as in the past government or in the spirit ‘change mantra’ in the case of Buhari. The audacious brands of corruption in Nigeria utilize institutions to conceal, defend, antagonise or suppress probes. It is either that the courts say they have not enough evidence to prosecute an offender or the case will linger ad infinitum. We have serious cases of corruption cases against Bankole, Farouk Lawan among many others going to ten years unresolved, and now the case against Saraki, Dausuki and Dopkesi have been added up.
The spate of looting and the sums at stake complicated the hypothesis that Nigeria’s public servants are fraudulent as a result of high level of poverty, soaring unemployment, under-remuneration and financial hardship. It is exceedingly controversial as it is misrepresentative to include poverty, unemployment rate, under-remuneration of workers and financial hardship as reasons for widespread corruption in Nigeria. This because most of the Nigerians indicted for corruption related crimes are highly privileged public servants who usually have unlimited access to state funds. Since the start of war against corruption in 2000 state governors, heads of large government institutions, executive directors of Nigerian banks, senators and top national law makers for instance have been investigated, indicted and set free. So far those accused of stealing public money have privileges of millions as legitimate monthly take home. This notwithstanding, they had the imprudence to act improperly with public funds at their disposal.
As thieves boastfully go free of indictments, murderers invade and slaughter without provocation innocent Nigerians in churches, homes, villages and nothing happens. And when the culprits are arrested, they are hardly prosecuted and left to reorganize other deadly attacks. It is the corruption and irresponsibility that made the government in power not to look beyond the corridors of presidential palace to see how ordinary Nigerians are painfully executed in mass every day as law enforcement agents continue to claim they are on top of the situation. Many Nigerians these days, understood the phrase ‘on top of the ‘situation’, to mean ‘yes we are aware the criminals are parts and parcels of those in power and we are incapacitated’.
Nigerian citizens are not secured in worship centers, cities, homes or remote villages. Nigerians are frightened due to uncontrollable suicide attacks, bomb blasts and gunfire that have become the routine. The deadline has come and gone for the recovery of Chibok Girls so also for the stoppage of the senseless assaults. Trillions of naira have been expended fighting the religious fundamentalists, yet no credible evidence that the enemies are being fought while Nigerians are slaughtered and the government notwithstanding the promises of quick-finish appeared in fact powerless. It is safer to say that the government is shadowboxing the senseless murderers with the money. The astonishing story was that the fight against the terrorism was a platform for diverting resources of the nation and has continued to be. As the attention of the cabals are concentrated on strategies for unequal advantage over the trillions of security budget, the brutes continued to kill Nigerians without cause and go without justice.
It is however outlandish to talk of good governance where you have bad governors, prudent politics where you have reckless politicians or democracy and democratization when self-centered dictators have taken over the society with force or fraud. It is evident that overall culture of governance plays significant roles in the interminable nature of corruption in Nigeria. It is, too, indisputable that nature of Nigeria’s political economy, the weak institutions of government, a dysfunctional legal system and absence of clear rules and codes of ethics make abuse of public authority and corrupt practices endemic. From what is happening, the easy guess is that the national elite groups have allowed the nation to collapse under the weight of their self-interest, Nigeria is seemingly failing and unfit as place for security and freedom based on reality on ground. For a commentator, there is nothing to reclaim for Nigeria, apart from misery of the human soul. Common civic services as emergency numbers for fire, police and ambulance do not exist after decades of self-government. Talk of local government, it is non-existent. State government? Nowhere to be seen. Then take a bigger look at the centre and you see a cabal of ‘divide and share’ people, looting national resources at will. Nigeria’s profound dept of corruption cannot allow democracy to flourish soon. This is also because Nigerians have so far not shown capacity to present common front on any national question.
It is incontrovertible that Buhari’s government is looking frustrated as the national economy is sliding. The rising tide of poverty, inequality and injustice will soon begin to be a potent threat. The unpredictable economic outlook is beginning to be the concern of all. The palpable lack of transparency, inadequate strategic vision and weak monitoring mechanisms make Nigeria a fertile the environment for brands of corrupt practices. Some government functionaries such as the governors and local government chairmen seem so naughty and unsupervised. They behave with impunity as if they are the immunities themselves. For Obayelu A.E, most of Nigerian leaders and top bureaucrats set bad examples of self-enrichment or ambiguity over public ethics thereby encouraging the lower-level officials and members of the public to corrupt practices. Informal rules are found to supersede formal ones, thereby making stringent legal principles and procedures to lose their authority. Hence, bribery and corruption are taken by many Nigerians as norms even in the face of anti-corruption crusades intended to support cleaning the malicious governance style.
christonwedo@gmail.com
