Fighting corruption, which many Nigerians and foreigners agree, is the greatest obstacle to the country’s socio-economic development has never been an easy task for the government. In as much as many people would want the monster to be eradicated completely from their daily existence, forces behind it, who had sustained and continue to sustain it, seem to have vowed never to allow the country freedom from the choking grip of corruption.During the military administration of General Muhammadu Buhari and late Tunde Idiagbon between 1983 and 1985, there was a vigorous effort to stamp out the problem. Although, the government was highly criticised for what observers described as high-handedness, there is a consensus in the country that that administration remains unbeaten when it comes to the issue of anti-corruption war.
It is on record that the problem of drug-trafficking, which the country is seriously battling to tackle at the moment, was reduced to the barest minimum during the period. Nigeria that used to be a major transit point for international hard drugs trade became unattractive for the peddlers. An average Nigerian then was conscious of the new order of discipline in the land. Many feared the consequence of been caught in corruption related affairs as there measures put in place by the government to check such move both in the public and private sectors. The famous WAR AGAINST INDISCIPLINE, WAI, did a lot of wonders to put Nigerians, both the high and the low on their toes.
That administration and its noble achievements was cut short by General Ibrahim Babangida, who is seeking to rule the country again 17 years after, in a coup in 1985.Since then, subsequent governments could not re-enact what the Buhari administration in the area of fighting corruption. The Abacha government tried but ended up entrenching further the culture of sleaze believed to have been incorporated by the Babangida administration.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on assuming power in 1999 realised the need to wage an all out war on corruption because of the seeming irreparable havoc it has wreaked on the country. He was widely applauded for the initiative. By the time the anti-graft war thickened; with Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as the arrow-head, many supposed untouchables had become guests at various prison yards across the country. But along the line, the administration lost track and also became enmeshed in the corruption jamboree. The president was accused of using the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to witch-hunt his political enemies, especially those opposed to his alleged ambition to go for third term in office.
Prior to the 2007 election, the agency released a list of politicians it described as corrupt and advised that political parties should not field them for any elective positions. Most of those on the list were perceived political enemies of the then president, one of whom was his Vice, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. While some commended the move, many criticised and described it as a desperate attempt by Obasanjo to get his pound of flesh from his opponents who destroyed his third term ambition. Although, many agree that some of the people on that list actually had questions to answer before Nigerians as to how they managed the commonwealth of the nation out in their care, the timing of the publication of their names raised a concern.
The same scenario is playing out now with the agency publishing on its website last month names of over 50 top politicians and notable businessmen it considered ineligible to participate in the forthcoming election in the country. The agency’s boss Mrs. Waziri insisted that the anti-graft agency will spare no efforts to ensure that no political party fields any of the affected persons as a candidate.
Some of the affected politicians have lashed out at the agency and the President Jonathan government. They described the action as a mark of return to the ‘witch-hunting’ days of the Obasanjo administration. But, Nigerians are quick to puncture this argument. Reason? Majority of the affected people are currently undergoing trials in the courts for offenses ranging from embezzlement to money laundering. Once they get elected, it becomes difficult to prosecute them because of the immunity clause in the constitution.
The Jonathan government should not lose track just like the Obasanjo regime in its effort to rid the country of corruption. There seem to be a perception in the nation (right or wrong) that his desperation to remain president beyond 2011 despite the zoning agreement in place is driving the EFCC action. He has actually sent out words to the EFCC not to legitimize this perception.
“As we approach the 2010 General Elections, I wish to advise that all agencies of government must moderate their public utterances and refrain from making statements likely to cause apprehension in the minds of the public that this administration is taking measures aimed at excluding some people or its perceived political opponents from the political process.
“While it is important for anti-corruption agencies to continue to pursue their statutory mandate with vigour, care must be taken to ensure that no negative feeling or perception is unwittingly created that government is complicit in any grand design or scheme to ‘witch-hunt’ people,” the country’s Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke wrote in a letter to Mrs Waziri.
By and large, the concern of Nigerians, especially the masses, is that honest, credible and trust-worthy individuals emerge as leaders after the 2011 elections so that the country can move forward and in the long run shed the toga of being one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
