As the President Buhari / All Progressive Congress (APC) led
Administration rolls out drums to celebrate its three years of
stewardship and the 19th democracy anniversary, Nigerians have berated
the government’s anti-corruption war.
Apart from security and economy, the present Buhari led APC government
was voted into power in 2015 based on the strong promise of stamping
out the hydra-headed monster of corruption and vowed to recover
Nigeria’s looted wealth and plough it back to the development of
Nigeria.
In fact, Buhari had during the campaign at the last general elections
and shortly after assumption of office stressed poignantly that: “if
Nigeria does not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria”.
Unfortunately, three years today, corruption continues to stench
within government circles while opposition elements face the hot music
of the purported war against corruption.
Some Nigerians opined that the so called war against corruption is
rather a ploy to silence opposition and perceived enemies of the
government while corruption surreptitiously festers in ministries,
departments and agencies the Buhari/ APC led government.
Tanko Yakasai, Chairman Northern Elders Council while speaking on
Buhari/ APC administration’s war against corruption said nothing has
been achieved in that area.
He questioned how many people have been convicted of corruption in
the present government, citing among other critical cases, the former
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachi Lawal who was
indicted for committing an infraction by the report of a Senate
committee, which was forwarded to the President.
“When the matter was referred to the President, he asked the Vice
President (Prof. Yemi Osinbajo) to investigate. After the
investigation, the presidential panel confirmed the allegations
levelled against the former SGF.
” However, up till today, the former SGF has not been arraigned in any
court of law. This is an open case of corruption where a contract was
improperly awarded to a company. So, a government that claims to be
fighting corruption cannot be found wanting in a case that concerned
such individual.
“That is where this administration is incompetent. Lawal should have
been arraigned before a court of law. I have never met the former SGF
in my life, but I feel any serious-minded government should have
arraigned him and commenced a full prosecution by now”, the elder
statesman noted.
Ola Olanipekun, Senior Advocate of Nigeria said although the Buhari
administration showed much promise leading to being elected,
it has not lived up to expectations when looking particularly at how it has
been able to win the war against corruption.
“It is not impressive at all as there have been delays due to a lot of
bottle necks.
“What has been happening is what can be said to be movement, movement,
and movement but no progress. Going by the pedigree of the president
who is
known to be a strict General, the fight against corruption which is the major
reason he came into office has not been won at all. Many high
profile cases have been swept under the carpet, the manner in which these
cases are handled are bad,” Olanipekun said.
He equally sighted the cases of the former Secretary to the Government
of the Federation, Babachi Lawal, former chairman of the Presidential
Task Force on Pension Reforms, Abdulrasheed Maina who were accused of
corruption and added that so many thugs and also mentioned Musiliu
Obanikoro who has decamped to APC and to avoid being prosecuted of
their corruption charges.
“Fayemi was alleged by his state to have collected loan on bond for
projects and did not execute but was not harassed by the EFCC, while
Shekarau fraud cases and the likes are being executed and arraigned by EFCC
because they belong to the PDP,” Olanipekun said.
According to Frank Utoo, an Abuja based Legal Practitioner and a
Former House of Representatives Aspirant on the platform of APC, the
party came to power through Nigerians belief that it would fight
corruption as promised during the campaign but has performed abysmally
in that project.
Utoo asserted that rather, APC has deployed the fight against
corruption as a potent weapon of fighting political opponent while
members of the government holding appointments continue to perpetrate
acts of corruption with impunity.
“The fight against corruption has been masqueraded as a fight against
opponents. Since APC came on ground, it has been fighting only those
who were in power before its coming. But there has been massive
corruption under the APC government. You look at the case of Babachir
Lawal, former SGF who awarded the contract of cutting grass to his
company for more than half a billion naira and he was defended by the
President.
“We know about the contract saga at the NNPC where about $50 billion
contracted and nothing was done. We know about the violation of due
process in the purchase of the Tocano Jets which were not
appropriated. There are other acts of corruption under his nose and
nothing is being done but attention has been focused on those who held
sway”, the lawyer noted.
Also, Gideon, an Abuja lawyer with Okai Ogaji and Associates also
berated Buhari’s ant-corruption fight.
“I think it has not worked, both at the higher level and at the lower
level because the fight against corruption should be done at all
levels. Especially with government officials who steal from the
government blindly.
“President Muhammadu Buhari also have to fight administrative
corruption which is the worse, for example, you submit a document for
processing in a government agency, you have to bribe to get your
document process. This is corruption at the lower level and this is
also called administrative corruption. This is the one that is most
destructive.
“At the top, we have not seen what he is doin, he is rather busy
fighting his political enemies . President Buhari hasn’t done much to
fight corruption, that is the truth.
Similarly, Aondover Utsaha, an Architectural Practitioner and SDP
Governorship aspirant for Benue State, noted that APC has failed
wholly in the fight against corruption as in the other pedestal of
security and economy which earned it Nigerians votes in 2015.
“APC has done nothing in the fight against corruption. They have been
beating about the bush. The SGF was removed from office for
corruption, but he is heading Buhari’s campaign. He was indicted but
have not been tried.
“Yet they have been indicting and persecuting members of other
political parties while those in APC are freely indulging in
corruption. So where is the fight against corruption?, Utsaha queried.
On his part, Monday Osasah, Programme Cordinator for African Centre
for Leadership, Strategy and Development stated that the government
doesn’t have the confidence of majority of Nigerians in its
anti-corruption war.
According to him, “At the initial stage in the fight against
corruption, it looked like a good one for the nation, but later events
showed it was a mere lip service by the government of the day.
“The case of Babachir Lawal stares all of us in the face. The Panel of
Inquiry from the Presidency indicted him, and he was found guilty of
corruption. What the citizens expected from the government is not just
to remove him from Office but for him to face prosecution.”
“Also the government has been found to be very nepotic in its
dealings, which is another form of corruption.
He said, “There is also the case of Open Government Partnership, OGP,
which the President signed up to at the anti-corruption summit, when
the former British Prime Minister described Nigeria as fantastically
corrupt.”
“President Buhari signed up to that at the anti-corruption summit in
2016, but the sub-national government is yet to live up to
expectations in that regard.
“Also, the Ministries Departments and Agencies of the Government do
not appear receptive in working with Civil Liberty Organisations in
various areas, key of which is in the budgetary preparations.
He further remarked that, “In preparing the national budget which
ought to be people oriented. It comes with all manner of secrecy, and
there is a disconnect between the Nigerian citizens and the budget,
that is why we always have little impact of the budget on the lives of
the people.”
Ike Ubaka, the President of All Farmers Association of Nigeria chided
the anti-corruption war of the Buhari led administration.
Ike said, “Where is the Position of the case the former Secretary to
the Federal Government Babachir Lawal, the NIA and the intimidation of
the judiciary. Is it how to fight corruption? People that were
indicted and they are not facing prosecution and you go about saying
you are fighting corruption”
For the former speaker, Kogi State House of Assembly, Momoh Jimoh, the
Buhari administration is fighting corruption lopsidedly as corruption
is growing everyday with a significant amount of corrupt people within
his administration.
“I do not believe they are fighting corruption, if really they are
fighting corruption, it ought to affect all and sundry. Both APC and
PDP members should be affected,” said Jimoh.
He noted that at the time that the PDP administration was fighting
corruption, there was no sacred cow and questioned whether those
governors and decampees from PDP to APC are not corrupt. Jimoh said
what he sees is witch haunting and not the fight against corruption.
However, a strong supporter of president Buhari, and chairman of one
of the boards of the agencies, who sought anonymity said corruption is
not in the APC administration per se but those who moved from the
other parties are infesting the government.
“The APC members have not been in power, only those that have been in
power before now have stolen from the government coffers and as such needs
to be dealt with by the EFCC.
On the mention of the former PDP members who decamped, such as Fayemi
who was alleged to be corrupt with an allegation of fraud leveled on
him at his state level, he said the president has already stated it
clearly that whoever has a concrete and significant evidence against
them should bring it up and they would be brought to book.
He further said they no significant evidence has been brought forward
against those being accused so far to warrant their being arraigned
and that people have failed to recognize the arraignment of Cornel
Jabar Isah, a bossom friend of Buhari as part of the fight against
corruption.
On the other hand, Felix Dav, Secretary of APC Youth Caucus contended
that corruption is so endemic in Nigeria to be easily eradicated but
that the government was doing its best, though there are vestiges and
urged the government to swiftly prosecute those lawfully indicated
across party lines.
“Fighting corruption in Nigeria is a very big task. Buhari and APC has
tried but enough still needs to be done. The former office holders in
PDP in our party may be the reason Nigerians think APC is not doing
enough in fighting corruption”, Dav reasoned.
James Kwen, Harrison Edeh, Laide Akinboade, Oyin Aminu, Abuja
