“When the head is rotten, it affects the whole body”
— A popular African proverb
At the inception of President Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration in 2011, Nigeria’s first minority president,
the man whom much hope had been invested to clean the Aegean Stable
shocked the entire nation. It was in the answer he gave to what had
seemed to be an innocuous question that had left Nigerian bewildered.
Jonathan had been asked why he had not deemed it fit to set a personal
example in transparency by declaring his assets. The interviewer sought
to know why he had not fulfilled the constitutional obligation. He
wanted the President to tell Nigerians when he would submit his assets
to public scrutiny as an example to other public officials.
The President’s response hit Nigerians
like a thunderbolt. “I don’t give a damn about asset declaration”, he
replied. It was shocking. But unknowingly to many Nigerians, the
President’s response at the time is predictive of the rot that
characterised his government today. It is the reason why corruption has
become a raging monster in this administration.
The signs are everywhere.
The first victims of the President’s
apathy towards fighting corruption are the anti-corruption agencies. The
agencies have all become moribund in the over two years of Jonathan’s
administration. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is dead and
buried. Forget its latest muscle flexing. The Independent Corrupt
Practices Commission does not exist. The Code of Conduct Bureau exists
only in name. The agencies have all been reduced to toothless bulldogs.
The EFCC which was once the nemesis of corrupt individuals both in the
public and private sectors has not been able to secure any conviction.
Looking at the situation critically, It is not a coincidence. if the
president of our country who is meant to live by example, who is
supposed to be an symbol of transparency does not give a damn; why do
Nigerians still expect the agencies to perform their duties? No wonder
corruption reigns. It will get worse in 2015 and beyond if this
administration continues in power.
As if the inaugural shocker to the
nation was not enough, the President lent his name to impunity. In March
2012, the President pardoned his former principal, the former Governor
of Bayelsa State, Diepriye Alamieyeseigha, and washed him clean of all
corruption charges. Never mind that the former governor had been found
guilty and condemned over allegations of corruption as governor. When
Nigerians cried foul, the President brushed it off and just carried in
his “I don’t give a damn” manner.
Then came the revelations of massive
corruption in the oil sector. Billions of funds which were allegedly
paid to oil marketers for products not supplied. Nigerians were
outraged. Till today, none of the indicted individuals in the sector has
been prosecuted. They may never be brought to book because the
president does not give a damn. In the years gone by, at least before
the inception of this government, the fear of the EFCC was the beginning
of wisdom. The agency did not only prosecute public officials, it also
made life uncomfortable for big time fraudsters or 419ners. The
eagle eyes of the agencies also visited the private sector. It forced
corporate players to imbibe accountability. For example, many high
ranking bank executives were brought to trial. Alas, those are
forgotten years. In President Jonathan era, the agencies have all gone
to sleep. They are not even hibernating. They have all shut down. Now
all pending cases of corrupt officials die a natural death because our
president does not give a damn. A while ago, the EFCC kicked up some
dust in the failed Lagos-Ibadan Expressway contract breach. But it was
all a ruse. I did predict then on this page that the agency was chasing
shadows. It will not be an exercise in hyperbole that the legacy the
Jonathan administration may yet bequeath to Nigeria is corruption. How
does one explain, for example, the impunity currently going in the Niger
Delta where the country is losing billions to oil thieves unchecked?
What is responsible for the rise in oil theft in Jonathan
administration? Is it not too much of a coincidence that oil theft has
risen at a time a Niger Deltan is the president? In the infamous
interview Jonathan had with Christine Amanpour early in the year, he
blamed the international community for the crime of oil theft. Haba! Mr
President! What really has the international community got to do with
oil theft in the backwaters of Niger Delta? How about billions spent on
the protection of the pipelines? How come oil theft increased when
ex-militants have been contracted to protect the vast oil fields of the
delta? These are questions that beg for answers.
It fits conveniently into the failure of
this government to fight corruption. It will increase in the coming
years. Now the entire fabric of this government is corrupt. Every organ
of government is left to its on device. The executive is bloated. Our
legislators are said to be the highest paid in the world. The respected
Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili recently revealed that one trillion had been spent
on our National Assembly in eight years. It’s all part of the vicious
circle of corruption. No wonder the relationship between the executive
and lawmakers is cosy. Everybody is “chopping the national cake’’. No
wonder also that the National Assembly is always too quick to acquiesce.
The judiciary is also not left out. Judges are being sacked for
perverting the course of justice. It does not matter. Our president does
not give a damn. Not surprising, this administration’s romance with
corruption has caught the attention of international observers. The
anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International in its
corruption perception index 2012 rated Nigeria as the 35th most corrupt
countries in the world. Nigerians thought we were doing much worse.
In the report, Nigeria was 139th out of
the 176 countries surveyed. The 2013 Global Survey by the same agency
stated that 84 per cent of Nigerians surveyed by TI believed that
corruption had increased in the past two years, a higher percentage
than almost any other country in the world. Troublingly, 75% of those
surveyed also — said the government was, at best, ineffective at
fighting corruption. TI says Nigeria is heavily dependent on the
oil industry, yet the government refuses to act on accusations that the
oil companies are underreporting the value of the resources they extract
and the billions of dollars tax they owe. The report adds that
“certain transparency groups also blamed politicians for encouraging
corruption.
The United States is also worried. The
American Ambassador to Nigeria, Terence McCulley, stated this in an
editorial published on the U.S. embassy website. McCulley called on
President Jonathan to show more sincerity in the fight against
corruption; pointing out that corruption causes economic hardship and
helps spread violence and other forms of violent criminality. Hear him:
“Corruption in Nigeria diverts financial resources from building roads,
hospitals, schools, and otherwise investing in infrastructure that would
serve businesses, attract foreign investment, and create jobs.
Ultimately, corruption serves to promote criminal and extremist activity
by creating barriers to legitimate economic endeavours.”
Unfortunately, our President does not give a damn.
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