Nigeria: Ugly Spectre of Corruption – Stolen Futures: the Cost of Willful Damage

How corruption at public, private and individual levels continues to destroy the present and the future of the Nigerian state

Nigeria’s independence in 1960 is generally regarded as the realisation of the dream of the country’s founding fathers. Unfortunately, in spite of the sacrifices made and the high expectations that defined its conception and birthing, the country soon succumbed to a chequered history bordering on what approximated as the bad and the ugly. The euphoria of achieving self-rule after years of colonial servitude was short-lived. Few years after attaining this feat, the country was plunged into a national crisis on account of leadership succession struggles, culminating into a disastrous civil war from which it has not fully recovered, more than five decades after the internecine strife ended. The ugly side of this sad twist in the tale were certain limiting factors inherent in Nigeria’s governance system and choices which have been stunting its growth and progress over the years. A major factor in this regard is corruption that started to rear its ugly head right from when Nigeria began to evolve into a nation state.

With the benefit of history, Nigeria has been on the quest for national development, with successive governments, both military and civilian, adopting different measures, policies, programmes and plans, deemed appropriate, to achieve their envisaged objectives. However, corruption has severally been identified as being a militating factor at the root of why all the efforts in this regard failed. The irony of the situation is that Nigeria is one of the most endowed countries in the world in terms of its human and natural resources. Indeed, at independence, expectations were high that the country would soon become an industrialised nation, a veritable giant of Africa in the making. But years of unconscionable looting and plundering of its resources by a succession of greedy leaders put paid to that. And today, Nigeria lies almost prostrate, economically bankrupt and blundering about in a blind search of its lost glory.

In the estimation of many, Nigeria is one of the most corrupt countries in the world today. It is a view reinforced by The Economist magazine which in October 10, 2019 revealed that about $582 billion had been stolen from Nigeria since independence in 1960. It is a situation that has made Nigeria and Nigerians the butt of jokes and ridicule as was the case with David Cameron, a former UK Prime Minister, who once publicly described Nigeria as “fantastically corrupt”.

Ironically, the advent of military rule in 1966 turned out to be a major trigger for the large-scale corruption that has since become the norm in the country. Looting of the national treasury became the order of the day as each successive military administration tried to outdo its predecessor in the looting spree, just as the bastardisation of public institutions also took centre stage. The civilians who took over from them have not fared any better.

Probe Panels: Hunting with the hounds and running with the foxes

For instance, during the General Yakubu Gowon regime there was a lot of outcry against corrupt practices bordering on scandals resulting from importation and exportation of goods which led to port congestion. So, when General Murtala Muhammad became head of state following the coup that overthrew Gowon, he set up the Assets Investigation Panel which confiscated assets illegally acquired by Nigerians. The panel indicted 10 of the 12 governors and subsequently had their assets confiscated.

During the Second Republic, the civilian government headed by President Shehu Shagari set up a code of conduct for public servants to combat corruption. And soon after overthrowing President Shagari via military coup, General Muhammadu Buhari initiated the War Against Indiscipline, WAI, to tackle corruption and other economic and social vices.

General Ibrahim Babangida, who succeeded Buhari following a military putsch, on his part, set up an ethical and social mobilisation crusade as his own version of anti-corruption drive.

General Sani Abacha seized administrative power from Chief Ernest Shonekan’s Interim National Government after General Babangida stepped aside following popular uprising to his regime. And seemingly in keeping with what has become a tradition in anti-corruption war, Gen Abacha set up the Okigbo panel which curiously indicted his predecessor and coup comrade. Yet after the death of Abacha, his regime was found to have looted about N64.25 billion from the national treasury.

Return to civilian rule

It is important to note that in spite of the return to civilian rule, corruption has remained rampant and pervasive in Nigeria and has continued to undermine economic progress and democratic institutions in the country. “Democracy is seen as the only avenue corruption could be checked, but instead of such happening in Nigeria, corruption is becoming a household way to wealth accumulation. The problem of corruption in Nigeria is real, deep-rooted and severe. The electoral institutions have been heavily penetrated by partisan and corrupt practices. The seemingly corrupt management of the National Assembly finance has also eroded the powers of the legislature to check effectively the executive,” said Dr Fatile Olufemi and David Adejuwon in a research report titled, “Corruption, Democracy and Development: Fifty Years On”.

After serving as military head of state from 1976 to 1979, Obasanjo returned to power as an elected president in 1999. And to make a bold statement of the determination to tackle head on the intractable corruption menace that has continued to dent the country’s image and credibility, the Obasanjo government had gone ahead to establish the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC; the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission, ICPC. The Code of Code Bureau, CCB, which had been in existence before his return to power was given further boost.

Remarkably, the mind-boggling revelations from the various probe panels set up at different times by different regimes underline how deeply the corruption scourge has become. And it seems to be getting worse with each successive administration. In fact, the fear is that the situation is approaching a dangerous point where the canker worm will become immune to whatever remedy is applied to destroy it. The worry also centres on its damaging effects to the country’s well-being.

This explains why many concerned Nigerians have been ringing the alarm bell about such a scenario. For instance, on June 20, 2004, the Catholic Secretariat Forum posited thus: “Corruption in Nigeria breeds inefficiency, diminishes productivity, discourages investments, fuels inflation, and capital flight, and institutes a regime of poverty and unemployment. Corruption is an affront on human dignity, an assault on the human conscience, and a negation of the Christian vocation to build here on earth a Kingdom of truth and justice”.

Four years earlier, precisely on June 13, 2000, former President Obasanjo, on the occasion of the formal signing into law of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, said: “As we all know, corruption is a canker worm that has eaten into the fabric of our society at every level. It has caused decay and dereliction within the infrastructure of government and the society in physical, social and human terms. Corruption has been responsible for the instability of successive governments since the First Republic. Every couple since then has been in the name of stamping out the disease called corruption.

Unfortunately, the cure often turned out to be worse than the disease. And Nigeria has been the worst for it. Nigeria’s external image took a serious beating, as our beloved country began to feature on top of every corruption index… With corruption, there can be no sustainable development, nor political stability. By breeding and feeding on inefficiency, corruption invariably strangles the system of social organisation. In fact, corruption is literally the antithesis of development and progress. Of course, we realise that corruption covers a wide spectrum of acts and not just the simple act of giving and receiving bribes. Corruption covers such acts as: Use of one’s office for pecuniary advantage; gratification; influence peddling, insincerity in advice with the aim of gaining advantage; less than full day’s work for a full day’s pay; tardiness and slovenliness.”

There is also the growing belief that democracy or leadership succession process is in grave danger on account of the unabating prevalence of corruption, especially as its effects have become increasingly damaging. Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, is among those who feel this way. According to him, the evil of corruption also “extends to election rigging, indiscipline by public office holders, injustice and even man’s inhumanity to man”.

And while almost all those in a position to do something to arrest the situation appear helpless or indifferent, the question remains: who will bell the cat?

*Corruption Probes and Dates

1966: First Republic overthrown over claims of corruption

1974: Affidavits alleging corruption

1975: Gowon regime overthrown over accusation of corruption

1976: General Murtala Mohammed’s government was overthrown over alleged corruption

1975-76: Massive purge of corrupt civil servants

1976: Public Complaints Commission

1979: Code of Conduct Bureau is an anti-corruption agency in Nigeria. The Code of Conduct Bureau was established in 1979 after thirteen years of military rule during the Second republic of Nigeria. It is the first anti-corruption agency that was set up in Nigeria. Its aim is to battle corruption in the Nigerian public service.

1983: Second Republic civilian government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari overthrown over alleged corruption

1984-85: War Against Indiscipline, WAI, established to tackle corruption and other vices

1984: Recovery of Public Property [Special Military Tribunals] Decree no 3 of 1984

1993: The National Orientation Agency, NOA, was set up: It is the body tasked with communicating government policy, staying abreast of public opinion, and promoting patriotism, national unity, and development of the Nigerian society. The motto on its website states: “Do the right thing: transform Nigeria.” Its specific objectives were set out in Decree 100 of 1993.

1997: Failed Banks Tribunals Under General Abdulsalami Abubakar; we began efforts to retrieve looted assets.

2000: ICPC: The Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act 2000 governs the Commission’s activities.

2003: EFCC The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is a Nigerian law enforcement agency that investigates financial crimes such as advance fee fraud and money laundering. The EFCC was established in 2003, partially in response to pressure from the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, which named Nigeria as one of 23 countries non-cooperative in the international community’s efforts to fight money laundering. The agency has its head office in Abuja.

2003: NEITI: The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative is a global standard for the good governance of oil, gas and mineral resources. It seeks to address the key governance issues in the extractive sectors in Nigeria.

2004: SERVICOM (Service Compact with All Nigerians) . It was established in 2004 as the outcome of a Three-day Special Presidential Retreat on Service Delivery with the President, Ministers, Special Advisers, Presidential Aides and Chief Executives of major Extra-ministerial Departments in Nigeria. Intermittent: Anti-corruption Advisory, which EFCC issued just before the 2007 elections.

By Vanguard.