A More Effective Way To Fight Corruption in Nigeria

If Corruption were to be 37th state of Nigeria, it would doubtless be the power state—the richest, most formidable and most ruthless. Perhaps, the slogan of the ‘Almighty’ State of Corruption would be “Nigeria, I own you”. If the figures that were recently released by the All Progressives Congress (APC) are anything to go by, then you would comfortably agree with me that corruption is seemingly bigger than Nigeria. The party’s publicity secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had alleged that the immediate past government of Goodluck Jonathan looted huge sums of money that summed up to about eleven trillion naira (#11 trillion) — that’s mind-boggling!

Now, I can clearly make sense of what president Muhammadu Buhari meant when he passionately declared, during the 2015 presidential campaigns, that: “Corruption will kill us if we do not kill corruption.” Does that therefore suggest that Nigeria would have literally been at the point of death by now if the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had won the just concluded fiercely contested presidential election? Given the current staggering revelations of misappropriations, it’s most likely.

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Understanding Corruption in Nigeria

Corruption, today, stands as the greatest common enemy of Nigeria—in fact, it could be likened to the devastating racism that the likes of Martin Luther King Jnr had to confront in the United States many years ago; the apartheid that Nelson Mandela and other South Africans had to fight tooth and nail. And this is because every single problem that’s currently facing Nigeria —insecurity, massive unemployment, poor infrastructural development, high level of infant mortality rate (number of deaths of children under one year of age per 1000 live births), increased number of out-of-school children, and low productivity of citizens to name a few—can be effortlessly traced to corruption.

This menace is beyond a mere act among Nigerians, it’s more or less a way of life; it’s a disease of the mind. Although president Buhari has the zeal, courage and adequate track record to tackle corruption, he must understand that taming this monster goes beyond just jailing the offenders, even though that’s the first step. Corruption is damn too pervasive among Nigerians—irrespective of age, gender, ethnic or religious group. And this is because it has become a national culture; it has eroded our values as a people. The society has come to embrace it as a norm—if you do your work diligently; if you strive hard to avoid the giving or taking of bribes as well as cutting corner, you are seen as not being ‘sharp’—and that’s indeed very frightening. To solve a tough and very pervasive national problem as corruption, the president and his team must first fully understand the strengths as well as weaknesses of this enemy and then come up with ingenious strategies to arrest it.

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How to Arrest Corruption

It should be tackled in two ways: short and long term approach. In the short run, all revenue generating agencies of the government must be probed (that is already being done), and all offenders should be charged to courts for prosecution by a formidable Economic and Financial Crimes Commission without violating their human rights. It would be safer and more effective if special courts are set aside for the sole purpose of prosecuting these cases. In setting up those courts, fearless and incorruptible judges with a track record of excellence should then be posted there, and there should be a given length of time to complete such cases—a maximum of, in my opinion, three to six months is preferable. This is necessary so as to prevent these looters from frustrating the long overdue fight against corruption, perhaps by dragging cases for years, destroying evidences, and bribing judicial officers.

Once the prosecution begins, those who are found to be guilty should then be stripped of our commonwealth; jailed and listed in the nation’s “Corruption Black Book” (this should be created by the federal government). They will serve as deterrents to other would-be offenders: public officials at all levels—local, state and federal—and every other Nigerian. This would help establish the notion that corruption is an alien disease—at least in Nigeria—that could possibly turn whosoever that gets infected with it into an outcast.

In the long run, the Buhari-led federal government should embark on a “National Ethics and Re-orientation Campaign”, much like that of the campaign against HIV/AIDs—after all, they are similar, even though corruption is worse. This should be done as soon as feasible. From primary to secondary schools and then to higher institutions of learning, every Nigerian must be made to see corruption as the alien that it is. And they should be encouraged to embrace such values as Integrity, Service, Accountability, Diligence, Love and Patriotism, and Excellence. This is how the fight against corruption can be effective and sustainable. All Nigerians must see themselves as one people with a common destiny and that only one great enemy—corruption—can rub them of their future. Hence, there is need to defeat it.

The war against corruption is a very challenging one and president Buhari must note this. It cannot be fought like a conventional war. Or else, it would be totally lost because of the political heavyweights that are involved. It requires ingenious strategies to finally arrest it and all well meaning Nigerians must be willing to stand by their president and fight this common enemy to a standstill. The president and his team must also deliver on many of their campaign promises—fighting insecurity, creation of more jobs, revamping the economy, and stable power supply—so that the citizens can trust their government and therefore get motivated to fight corruption with their last breath.

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