‘A Luta’ against Looters

If we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria, says Muhammadu Buhari. If that sounded like a cliche some months ago, there is no longer any doubt about its veracity after the recent  revelations of sleaze perpetrated by the last administration through the National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki. Everywhere you turned to last weekend, the […]

If we don’t kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria, says Muhammadu Buhari. If that sounded like a cliche some months ago, there is no longer any doubt about its veracity after the recent  revelations of sleaze perpetrated by the last administration through the National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki. Everywhere you turned to last weekend, the topic of discussion was the level of thievery and the bottomlessness of the greed of those involved.
Just as we were coming to terms with the fact that Raymond Dokpesi, founding chairman of Daar Communications, was an eager participant in the booty-sharing to the tune of N2.1 billion, we got to know that many national newspapers had also dined with the devil of corruption, although I am told that several of the newspapers were conned into thinking that the money was compensation for the disruption of their circulation by the government. But nothing could excuse the lack of judgement on the part of the media in this matter. Is the National Security Adviser a court of arbitration or alternative dispute resolver?
As more revelations poured out, some of the erstwhile officials who had denied ever having anything to do with booty-sharing started singing new songs. Notable among them was Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala who served as Finance Minister and doubled as unofficial prime minister. Realising that the disclosures were getting too close for comfort, she has now volunteered information that she released $322 million out of the Abacha loot (N80.5 billion at today’s black market rate) to Dasuki with the approval of President Jonathan. One hopes that the law will eventually catch up with all those who re-looted the Abacha loot thereby adding to the economic adversity of Nigeria.
Buhari has told all those (especially apologists of the former government) who had been alleging persecution, to be patient; he says they will soon have the full benefits of the facts with names and amounts stolen or misappropriated. Suddenly, there is uneasy quiet all around. People like Senator Iyorchia Ayu have quickly come out to reveal their own role. Ayu said the N345 million remitted to his company were for consultancies on security and electoral matters.
Other expenditures included  the transfer of N1.45 billion to Acacia Holdings Limited’s account for special prayers (you see, they tried to bribe God too); the N170 million for a four-bedroom duplex; the N380 million to support re-election of members of the House of Representatives; and N750 million paid into Reliance Referral Hospital Limited’s account for special prayers (Lord have mercy); N670 million paid to Nduka Obaigbena; and N260 million transferred to Tony Anenih.
The hands of EFCC’s operatives are full. So far, they have discharged their duties creditably. I hear there are even bigger revelations coming. We are steeling ourselves for the shock.
But we all have to enlist in the anti-corruption army if we are to rid our country of this cancer of corruption that has festered for so long and has brought untold misery to the majority of our people. This cannot be a Buhari crusade alone, otherwise as soon as Buhari finishes his tenure the nation would go back to the riotous ways of old.
Buhari himself is aware of that. “Without our collective will to resist corrupt acts as a people, it will be difficult to win the war”, he declared last week.
What demon makes decent people succumb to the lure of filthy lucre once they have access to the public till? One can understand those with a long criminal career of looting, but some names don’t seem to belong among the ‘usual suspects’. How many of us will do the right thing if we are in a position to preside over millions of dollars?
I have consistently canvassed on these pages for the National Orientation Agency to be in the vanguard of the anti-corruption crusade. Nothing short of a national programme for attitudinal change in all aspects of national life is called for. We have to fight the usual expectation of salaried workers who still insist on being bribed to do their work; the breakdown of traditional values that makes society glorify eminent thieves; the new culture of turn-by-turn in treasury looting; our habitual mad rush to nowhere as evidenced by the way we drive and jump queues like cattle; our penchant to rationalise stealing as long as the thief is from our tribe or religious grouping. There is plenty of work to be done and Buhari deserves our support beyond political party lines.
The government itself should seriously work at strengthening our institutions so that reforms relating to the anti-corruption war can outlive this administration. Otherwise it will all be a waste of time. Institutions like the EFCC, ICPC, CCB etc must be completely independent in their operations and the judiciary should be financially independent of the executive to discourage the allegedly emerging trend of purchase of verdicts.
It is not every foul that a football referee can see. But the ones that he sees, he sanctions. We may not be able to catch all the treasury looters at the same time. But these ones that have been identified have to be prosecuted with dispatch to send the right signals to all and sundry. I propose that their trials be conducted daily until the cases are dispensed with — like the trial of the South African athlete, Oscar Pistorius which ran every day until verdict was delivered. If we have to amend our laws or relevant rules to achieve this, so be it.
It was Samora Machel, the FRELIMO leader, that popularised the slogan “A luta continua” (the struggle continues) during the liberation struggle of Mozambique in the 70’s. As students we borrowed the term and tagged any form of student action or struggle as ‘A luta’. Nothing short of a very serious ‘A luta’ against looters and economic saboteurs is required now.