‘Nigeria, The Way Through Corruption to the Well-Being of A People’

Book Title:    Nigeria, The Way Through Corruption to the Well-Being of A People Publisher:    National Open University ISBN:     978-978-949-485-9 Author:     Abdullahi Shehu Pages:      426 Date of Publication: September, 2015 Reviewer:     Nurudeen Oyewole As the mantra of change and zero tolerance for corruption policies of President Muhammadu Buhari unfold on a daily […]

Book Title:    Nigeria, The Way Through Corruption to the Well-Being of A People
Publisher:    National Open University
ISBN:     978-978-949-485-9
Author:     Abdullahi Shehu
Pages:      426
Date of
Publication: September, 2015
Reviewer:     Nurudeen Oyewole

As the mantra of change and zero tolerance for corruption policies of President Muhammadu Buhari unfold on a daily basis, a literary piece from an authoritative voice has also emerged in the horizon, and it is coming from a no lesser personality but Abudullahi Shehu.
Titled: ‘Nigeria, The Way Through Corruption to the Well-Being of A People,’ Shehu’s new book has its focus fixed on the menace of corruption. The type that has ravaged Nigeria for many years.
Scripted in 426 pages, the book has its contents spread across 10 chapters, each of which dwells on pertinent socio-economic issues that cannot be overlooked while engaging in an academic engagement of this magnitude.
The book opens with the first chapter on Background to Nigeria, which chronicles the structure of the nation, detailing the multi-ethnic nature on one hand and refreshing the minds of readers on what constitutes the legal system in the country. This chapter highlights the intrinsic relationship that exists between the structure of the country and the scourge of corruption. 
In Chapter Two, the author opens his vista on corruption by attempting to define it as well as outline the patterns and trends of the scourge in the country. While this chapter is detailed in the manner he portrayed it, he took time to mention some instances, which are of course, some of the notorious examples plaguing the nation. 
In Chapter Three, the writer opens the lid on another important aspect of the problem, which is how the funds so looted are laundered. He took time to identify the sources, stages, methods and the links that constitute the business of laundering looted funds. 
Readers will find Chapter 5 very interesting because this is the portion of the book that outlined the effects of the problem being discussed. In details, the author showed how corruption has stunted development, economy, and of course, how it has rubbed off negatively on our concept of the rule of law. 
Chapter Seven should make so much sense to policy makers in Nigeria because it takes the readers through the journey of the war against corruption in the country. The author mentioned all the laws and efforts through the successive regimes. For the younger readers, there was Decree 5 of 1966 promulgated under Yakubu Gowon, through the era of Murtala Mohammed to Shagari, Buhari, Babangida, Abacha, Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, Jonatahan and to the present efforts by Buhari. 
Why is Chapter Seven good for policymakers? It will arm them with the notes to understand why the scourge has festered in spite of the successive efforts to curb the ugly trend through the years. 
Although the book has ten chapters, Chapter Nine is also great in that it devoted a lot of efforts on solutions, which is great because having identified that there is a problem, it also rests on the author to avail solutions, and this he has tried to do in the ninth chapter. So for our policymakers, this chapter serves a good purpose if the fight against graft is not a ‘mere lip service.’ 
Although the cover of the book gives it the seriousness it deserves, the writer employed tables and graphs to drive home some of the data he collected in the course of his research, which is commendable. 
Equally commendable is the simplicity of language, which also got a boost by his effort to avail a portion that defined some of the technical terms some lay readers would encounter.
With academic and professional calling hinged on addressing criminality for many years, Shehu, a doctoral degree holder in Criminology, with specialisation in Anti Corruption and Anti-money Laundering, appears to be on a good pedestal to produce an authoritative piece of this sort, anytime.
“My academic leaning and relationship with the Nigeria anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), where I was once a director-general at its training institute in Abuja, appeared to have shaped my resolve on this book, to a large extent,” Shehu said. 
Far from his academic preparedness, Shehu also said he had been exposed to the workings of major ant-graft institutions like the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Inter-Governmental Agency against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), a regional platform being administered by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). 
Still on what prompted him into putting pen to paper, Shehu said it all started at the Daily Trust Lecture event held in January 2015. 
“There, I met a renowned jurist, Mustapha Akanbi, whose efforts in anti corruption are equally outstanding. It was he who encouraged me to come up with this,” he said.
For the average reader, what would leave an impression is the standard of proof-reading deployed to the production of this work. While it is top-notch, the writer’s decision to outsource the editing of the book (which is probably responsible for the quality inherent therein) may also cast a doubt about his belief in the Nigeria he professes to love. Are there no good editors who can deliver top-notch editing like the book portrays? This is doubtful. 
Another aspect with issues is the writer’s concept of corruption. The book specifically hinges corruption on the doorsteps of public officers, but the ‘little’ being done by private individuals ought to have been highlighted with equal fierceness, to avail the projection that it is a fight for everyone.