Nigerian government officials and corruption

Supporting his position, ironically, is the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Mr. Ekpo Nta and this beats one’s imagination. With such a statement coming from our leaders, it grants a certificate that could encourage stealing not only in the public but also the private sector. Though Mr. President insisted that stealing is […]

Supporting his position, ironically, is the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Mr. Ekpo Nta and this beats one’s imagination. With such a statement coming from our leaders, it grants a certificate that could encourage stealing not only in the public but also the private sector.
Though Mr. President insisted that stealing is not corruption, still and luckily, he averred that corruption is worse than stealing. If stealing is not corruption, what then is it and what punishment would he recommend for stealing and for corruption, respectively?
In philosophical, theological, or moral discussions, corruption is the abuse of official power or position to acquire a personal benefit. Corrupt activities include but are not limited to bribery and embezzlement. Government or ‘political,’ corruption occurs when an office-holder or other governmental employee acts in an official capacity for personal gain.
With this as contained in Wikipedia, where would one place the fact that President Jonathan formed a company, Ebele Integrated Farms Ltd, with a share capital of N30million with two shareholders -himself with 90 percent and his mother, 10 percent? The company was registered in December 2011, according to records obtained from Corporate Affairs Commission.
Ebele Integrated Farms’ sins did not stop at that. It sounds strange that the company applied for farming purposes, for a land measuring 94.04 hectares and belonging to the Aviation village in Abuja on March 6, 2012 and got it approved and allocated on March 8, 2012 – just within a space of two days? Not only that, the conversion of the land to farming distorted Abuja master-plan; thereby contravening part of the Constitution he swore to uphold.
The action so far on this land-grabbing issue by the first family is not only nauseating but also seriously greed-driven and a conflict of interest, thereby fouled the Nigerian constitution, which the president swore on oath, to preserve. His action contravenes the Fifth Schedule Part 1 (Code of Conduct for Public Officers) of the 1999 Constitution, Section 1.Now what has Mr. Nta, of the ICPC got to say about this?
Because Jonathan took the 94.04 hectares of land, his FCT minister, Bala Mohammed, had to help himself with 40.40 hectares, a land area very close to his boss’. The president’s media men had the effrontery and pride that after all, former president Olusegun Obasanjo did similar land grabbing. Two wrongs cannot make any right. If it were to be in a well-organised country, this is enough to ask President Jonathan to resign, talk less of allowing him to continue campaigning for re-election. This, as committed by the president may be a tip of the iceberg – just thinking!
Corruption is one of the issues on the table against Nigerian government officials. Little wonder why Jonathan finds it difficult to give graphic details of how he has been fighting corruption and hence in one of his campaign outings, he said that he will use technology in fighting the monster, if re-elected.
Yet it was for similar reasons of conflict of interest and conduct inimical to a public office holder that President Jonathan relieved Dr. Barth Nnaji of his appointment as the Minister for Power. Whereas it is on record that before Nnaji became appointed a minister, he was already building Alaoji Power Station in Aba with a consortium of investors but in Jonathan’s case, he was already serving as president before the Ebele Integrated Farms was incorporated.
In this matter of the president soiling his name, I think he has disappointed most of us that held him in high esteem. What do we do?
Chief Amaechi Okiri ([email protected]) 239 Aba Road, Port Harcourt Rivers State