The talk of corruption in high places has become so common place in Nigeria that any time there is a news break of a fresh one, Nigerians are at a loss how to react to it. The figures are disturbingly high; the names mentioned are of those in the leadership cadre and who you expect to set good examples for the followership. But it does not happen that way. Herein lies our problem – the failure of leadership. We daresay unless there is a dramatic change in the character make-up and disposition of this rogue leadership, we are doomed as a nation.
First, it was the Halliburton $180 million bribery which was allegedly disbursed to retired generals, including some former heads of state. We are told the case is still being investigated. And recently, a former executive of a United States company implicated a former official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in fingerprint ink pad contract bribery. The Associated Press reported that the former chief executive, Richard Bistrong, admitted in a federal court that he helped to keep $4.4m (about N655.6m) in kickbacks off the books between 2001 and 2006 at Armour Holdings of Jacksonville, Florida, where he was vice-president for international sales.
Abel Guobadia and Maurice Iwu were the respective chairmen during the period that the bribe was allegedly offered to the INEC official whose name was not disclosed. The former chief executive of the American company which sells body armour and other protective gear, also pleaded guilty to bribing officials of the United Nations and elsewhere overseas to win lucrative contracts. He also said he authorised payments to a Dutch police officer for a pepper spray contract, and the Nigerian INEC official for fingerprint ink pads. According to the Associated Press (AP), Bistrong, who is cooperating with the US government’s investigation into bribery schemes, pleaded guilty to a single conspiracy count that carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.
Read Also: Breaking: INEC fixes 2023 general election for February 18
The former company chief was charged in January, 2010 as 22 other executives of suppliers to military and law enforcement agencies were arrested in a Federal Bureau of Investigation sting operation. Most were rounded up while attending their industry`s annual trade show in Las Vegas.
In documents filed at a US court, Bistrong said that in March 2006, on behalf of the company, he entered into discussions with INEC regarding the sale of Company’s fingerprint ink pads to the election body. He said that a month later, April 2006, an INEC official told him that the body would purchase the fingerprint ink pads if the INEC official was paid a kickback on the sale.
According to Bistrong, in Apri1 2006, he advised that the Company should not pay the INEC official directly, but that the INEC official should designate a company to which the American Company should pay the kickback, knowing that the kickback would then be passed on to the official. “Bistrong explained that in the same April 2006, he instructed that a kickback be paid to a company designated by the INEC official in exchange for INEC`s purchase from the company fingerprint ink pads, a purchase that was never made,” reported AP.
Bistrong added that from 2001 to 2006, the, $4.4m was kept off the company’s financial books. He said the money was payments to agents and other third-party intermediaries used by the company to assist it in obtaining business from foreign government customers. He said he and others caused the company to send to the end users, primarily government customers, an invoice that included a fee the company would pay to agents and at the same time, a false invoice – a so-called “net” invoice – that would not contain the amount to be paid to the company’s agents.
This is a very interesting theatric that has helped to portray, in great details, the dynamics of corruption in high places in which the giver, a citizen of the so called civilized world, is a key dramatis personae. It is a story that is very similar to the Halliburton case. If anything, Attahiru Jega has a good lesson to learn here. He must keep his eyes wide open and be well armed for the task ahead. He should know that he has a big battle to fight.
More importantly, the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) must rise to this new challenge – investigate the allegation and bring the culprits to book. At least the leaders of INEC when this alleged bribery was committed are well-known. This is a significant lead for the take off of the investigation.
