The high level of corruption and its debilitating impact on the country are once again on the centre-stage with the revelation by Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, that 55 Nigerians stole N1.34 trillion from the public treasury between 2006 and 2013.The Minister, who spoke at a press conference in Abuja where he launched the National Sensitisation Campaign against Corruption, solicited public support in the government’s fight against the menace.
The N1.34 trillion allegedly stolen by public officials and business men is about a quarter of the 2015 national budget. Mohammed noted that if the period covered by the report is extended to 2015, the total amount stolen would rise to N3.2 trillion, which is slightly half of the 2016 national budget. Of the stolen funds, 15 former governors allegedly looted N146 billion; four ministers stole N11 billion; 12 former public servants (Federal and State) stole over N14 billion; eight people in the banking sector stole N524 billion while eleven businessmen stole N653 billion.
The above figures are likely to be only a tip of the iceberg of the stealing jamboree that has virtually brought Nigeria to its knees. They are just the big ticket thefts and are, by no means, exhaustive as they do not include the everyday corruption at government stations such as the Customs and Immigration offices, licensing offices, police stations, checkpoints and local government offices. They do not capture the hundreds of thousands of everyday corrupt dealings at different levels of government in the country.
It has been known for ages that Nigeria is one of the most corrupt and most brazenly looted countries in the world. Annual statistics from Transparency International testify to this fact.
It is a big shame that the looting of the country has continued in spite of various laws in the Criminal Code and the Penal Code; the anti-corruption agencies like the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) inaugurated on September 29, 2000 by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) which came into being in 2004. That corruption has persisted and proliferated in spite of these laws and the anti-corruption agencies vividly tells the story of the malignancy of the disease.
If this campaign against corruption in the country is to succeed, Nigeria will need to take a closer look at the way we prosecute offenders and the sanctions provided for convicted persons in our law books.
It has been observed that our handling of the prosecution of suspects is so poor that “ineptitude, incompetence and poor legal preparation” often mar the chances of securing their conviction. Meanwhile, the suspects use their stolen loot to get the best of legal representation that often results in their walking away free from justice.
The result is that the prosecution of corrupt “big men” has been a nightmare for Nigeria. Justice is hardly ever seen to be done, even after so much time has been wasted in the courts. The average corruption case involving a former governor, senator or other senior public official lasts from eight years to eternity. Even worse is the conviction rate which is under 15 per cent.
The punishment stipulated for corruption in our law books needs to be re-examined. It sometimes appears as if the punishment was set to encourage rather than deter the crime. Corruption cases that lead to executions in Far East countries, including China, receive a slap on the wrists in Nigeria. The law should be reformed as swiftly as possible if this new campaign is to have deterrent effect on would-be corrupt officials.
Equally worrisome is the politicisation of corruption in the country. Persons accused of corruption today are often able to procure solidarity marches, protests and all kinds of public demonstrations in their support. Blind loyalty to corrupt persons by members of their ethnic groups is now making nonsense of the efforts to bring offenders to book. We must discourage this politicisation of corruption if the crime is to be reduced or stamped out. The strongest antidote against politicization of the problem, however, is transparent prosecution that is clearly seen to be fair, just and impartial.
We believe that the law on money laundering should be strengthened and more measures put in place to make it difficult for public officials to move public funds from the public treasury into their private bank accounts or outside the country. Where there is ambiguity as is the case with ‘security votes’, the law should be changed to provide greater clarity. The public ought to know how much is being spent on security by a governor, and how much a senator is earning per month. These facts, as elementary as they are, are shrouded in mystery in a country that is under a democracy.
Until Nigeria begins to successfully prosecute treasury looters and mete appropriate punishment to them, the country will remain under the siege of corrupt people.