The formalization of corruption

People that lack conscience and decorum do not care even if our public institutions sink to the lowest of the abyss. For so long there used to be allegations of the existence of clandestine transaction between those saddled with the responsibility of lands allocation and people that are desirous of owning land in Abuja. Those […]

People that lack conscience and decorum do not care even if our public institutions sink to the lowest of the abyss. For so long there used to be allegations of the existence of clandestine transaction between those saddled with the responsibility of lands allocation and people that are desirous of owning land in Abuja. Those that can afford to tow this path to get land allocations were the super-rich because it involves the payment of very money and mindboggling amount of money to the ‘principal’. It means public lands were not allocated to people as right but directly sold to highest bidders through mysterious transactions.
Instead of filling the prescribed form and meeting the guidelines from the FCT administration for plot allocation in Abuja, there is a different guideline that grossly violates the one that is officially recognized with impunity. Such requirements of maximum of 10ha size for the city and 20ha for regional area can be raised up to 100ha or more depending on the requests, accompanied with the amount of money paid to the ‘principal’. More to it is that the guidelines were not issued by the FCT administration or any of its agencies but through a registered private company with RC number.
For us to understand the extent of the disintegration in reasoning, and absence of decorum, somebody could have the temerity of putting himself directly at the firing line, by signing the document as released. Such can only be done by those that were power drunk, believing that they were the authorities and can never be challenged. Well, time has now spoken. When such documents leaked to the undesirable quarters of the originators, the usual and immediate available defense would be denial. But with the available information such a defense is bound to crash.
We are obliged to present to you some of these guidelines in a letter dated January 2014, issued by a private company. It goes as follows:
OFFER LETTER TO SELL A 100 HECTARES OF LAND IN KARSANA SOUTH DISTRICT WITHIN FCT, ABUJA
Pursuant to the discussions and meetings with your representatives on the above subject matter for the outright purchase of a 100 hectares of land in Karsana, we write to reply the issues raised in the said meeting, capturing some conditions and mode of payments, towards reaching an understanding for timely conclusion of this transaction.
In view of the foregoing, therefore we present the following conditions, however, subject to contract:
1.    That our principal wants the sum of Three Billion Six Hundred Million Naira for the said land.
2.    That a 100 hectares plot of land has been identified and booked in Karsana for the purpose of this transaction.
3.    That the 100 hectares plot of land is a new allocation and will be allocated in the buyer’s name.
4.    That the plot is only transferred to you if payment is completed.
5.    However, for the sake of goodwill the sum ofTwo Hundred Million Naira down payment is required to facilitate this allocation, or the sum of Five Hundred Million Naira as ISPO or any other bond you may deem fit is required by our principal from you as a comfort or commitment to process this allocation…
There are more conditions. The big question is who could be this Principal who had wide ranging powers to block plots as large as 100ha or more and allocate same to such a buyer in his name? Who is he that can also influence building plans approval and other subsequent stages of the development procedure? Your guesses would be as good as mine.
On a conservative estimate and depending on the sizes of allocations and the reservations for services, 100ha can be shared to 1000 beneficiaries, but the people would be denied. What is meant for the general public would be sold to the highest bidders, while the proceeds diverted to private pockets. Moreso, almost all these types of allocations that do not observe due process would contravene zoning regulations.
Regulation of these nature would only be desperate attempt to convince those that are desperate to hurriedly hide the huge amount of money that was fraudulently acquired. It is tantamount to luring them to spend the money the way it was acquired. In other words, they were attempts to legalize what is illegal, or attempts at formalization of corruption. No matter how it would be crafted, wrongs can never be right. Identifying these types of sold plots from the records shall not be difficult. For the sake of rectification of matters like these, there must be punishments.
People given public responsibility must not assume personal ownerships of public trust. Whichever is their faith, they must be reminded that inevitably, or, inescapably, there shall be a day for reckoning. When it eventually arrives, will there be any avenue for escape?