The Federal Government’s list of political office holders who looted the treasury and the counter list released by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) makes a mockery of President Buhari’s war against corruption. YUSUF MOHAMMED reports.
Many Nigerians admit that corruption has, for many years, held the country down. It is one of the reasons Nigeria is still regarded as a developing nation despite its abundant human and natural resources.
Corruption among Nigeria’s political class, they say, is as old as the country itself. It became worse in the second republic under President Shehu Shagari when stealing of public funds among public officials became the norm. It was the main reason Shagari was overthrown by a military junta that installed Major General Muhammadu Buhari.
In a Gestapo style, Buhari and his second in command, Brigadier Tunde Idiagbon, had many government officials from the Shagari administration arrested and sent to jail.
Observers, however, said he didn’t prioritise the revival of the economy, which was in dire need of attention at the time. Public sentiment was against him and the military saw that as another opportunity to over throw him in a bloodless coup that brought forth General Ibrahim Babangida.
Many are of the view that the Babangida administration institutionalised corruption as all those arrested by Buhari were released by his government. However, Babangida was considered to be a better administrator than Buhari in terms of policy formulation, and he operated a far more liberal government.
By 1999, General Abdulsalami Abubakar handed over power to the elected government of Olusegun Obasanjo who became President. In his effort to curb corrupt practices, Obasanjo in 2003, established the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). While analysts say credit must be given to Obasanjo for creating the EFCC, many have argued that current President, Muhammadu Buhari, has made better use of the agency.
There are suggestions that Buhari was mainly elected to tackle the biggest threat to the nation’s growth and existence – corruption. As he assumed office on May 29, 2015, he swung into action making sure that many prominent Nigerians who were accused of embezzling public funds were made to account for the monies.
Former National Security Adviser (NSA) in President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, Col. Sambo Dasuki, was accused of diverting $2.1bn arms money, which was meant to aid in the fight against insurgency. The arms deal mess also rubbed on some other prominent Nigerians who allegedly received parts of the money.
Despite the shortcomings of the President in his anti-corruption war, he is believed to have made progress in the recovery of stolen funds. Although he has been blamed in some quarters for not utilising these funds to develop the country as unemployment rate keeps rising, some people are also of the view that only Buhari among the crop of politicians jostling to lead the country has the political will to go after those who have stolen from the country’s treasury.
To show for its anti-corruption stance, the Federal Government last Friday, released a list containing names of alleged looters. On the list were the National Chairman of the PDP, Uche Secondus, who allegedly received N200m from the office of the NSA. However, Secondus denied the allegation and gave the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, 72 hours to retract the statement and also pay him N1.5bn as damages.
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The rest were Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, who is on trial for allegedly collecting N2.1bn from office of the NSA, Olisa Metuh, who is on trial for allegedly collecting N1.4bn from the NSA, former President Jonathan’s cousin, Robert Azibaola who allegedly received $40m from the NSA and Dudafa Waripamo-Owei, who is on trial over N830m kept in accounts of four different companies.
As Nigerians were busy discussing that list, the Federal Government on Sunday released a fresh list containing 23 names of alleged looters. The list was released in Lagos by Lai Mohamamed. Speaking of the first list, he said that was just a teaser.
In a statement, he said, Friday’s list “was strategically released as a teaser. At the press conference where the list was released, I did say it was a tip of the iceberg. The Federal Government has a large number of alleged looters on its list.” The minister said based on the EFCC’s investigation, N126bn, $1.5bn and £5.5m were allegedly embezzled through Sambo Dasuki’s office as the NSA.
Mohammed further alleged that a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke, “in just one of the cases the EFFC is investigating involving her, about N23bn is alleged to have been embezzled. She is also involved in the Strategic Alliance Contracts of the NNPC, where the firms of Jide Omokore and Kola Aluko got oil blocks, but never paid government taxes and royalty. About $3bn was involved.
“The Federal Government is charging Omokore and Aluko and will use all legal instruments, local and international, to ensure justice,” Mohammed said.
Other names on the list are Lt. Gen. Azubike Ihejerika, former Chief of Defence Staff Alex Badeh, Inde Dikko, a former Comptroller General of Customs, Air Marshal Adesola Amosun, Senator Bala Abdulkadir, a former FCT Minister. Former Governor of Niger State, Babangida Aliyu, Senator Jonah Jang and Bashir Yuguda, a former Minister of State for Finance. The government also named Senator Peter Nwaboshi, Aliyu Usman, Ahmad Idris, former Oyo State Governor Rasheed Ladoja and Tom Ikimi.
There was also, Femi Fani-Kayode, Hassan Tukur, Nenadi Usman, Benedicta Iroha, Aliyu Usman Jawaz and Godknows Igali.
What is obvious about the list is that no member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had his name on it. On the government list were either members of the PDP or people who had something to do with the PDP administration. Some Nigerians think it is a lopsided list, others think it does not matter, as long as a list came out.
Members of the PDP whose names appeared on the list have not taken it lightly. One of them, Femi Fani-Kayode in his reaction said, “The names that should be there is that of President Muhammadu Buhari, Yemi Osinbajo, Rotimi Amaechi, Babatunde Fashola, Lai Mohammed, Babachir Lawal, Abdulrasheed Maina, Abdulrahman Dambazau and Isa Jafaru. All these persons either donated money or received money during the 2015 elections and these were public funds.”
To further make nonsense of the list, Just like Fani-Kayode, Mr. Reno Omokri, a former aide to former President, Goodluck Jonathan also had his own list of looters. His list had the following names: “Rotimi Amaechi, Saminu Turaki, Timipre Sylva, Murtala Nyako, Senator Danjuma Goje, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Orji Kalu, Kayode Fayemi, Senator Joshua Dariye and Babachir Lawal, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Omokri, told The Next Edition that “The APC came to power through propaganda and they are trying to use propaganda to sustain it. That list is to shed a bad light on the PDP. But Nigerians are wiser now. They need show us their achievements instead of this pettiness.”
He also berated former Niger State Governor, Aliyu Babangida whose name appeared on the list for ‘betraying’ Jonathan. Aliyu Babangdia said the APC is blackmailing him by mentioning his name as one of the looters.
In response, Omokri said, “he should have thought about that before blackmailing Goodluck Jonathan with the New PDP. The chief servant was one of those who met former US President Barack Obama to denounce their support for Jonathan. He is only reaping what he sowed.”
Omokri reminded Nigerians of the recent report by the Transparency International on Nigeria’s corruption index. He said, “By the omission of these names, the Buhari led Federal Government has vindicated Transparency International.
“According to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index, Nigeria is more corrupt today under Buhari than at any other time since Transparency International started keeping records.
“We have moved 12 places backward from 136 to 148. Yet this administration has the guts to accuse a government under whom Nigeria made her best ever progress on the Corruption Perception Index of corruption? We moved from 144 to 136 in 2014 under President Jonathan because that government fought corruption in court and not through the media.”
For Austin Uzor, a social commentator, “both APC and PDP have failed this country. I urge the Nigerian youth to listen to Obasanjo and heed his advice even if we don’t like him. Let us say no to PDP and APC come 2019.”
Speaking with The Next Edition in a telephone chat, Sandra Nentapmwa Golen, a legal practitioner, expressed the view that “It is unfortunate that instead of shaming these looters and making sure they don’t hold public offices in the future or vie for any positions unless they clear their names, some of them have the effrontery to talk back. It is a shame!”
“Corruption in Nigeria has now become a laughing matter. I bet this will be swept under the carpet very soon,” she predicted.
But as the drama continues, many Nigerians would rather want the ruling party to focus its attention on delivering its campaign promises, which they say, are yet to come.