Our administration believes that the cost of governance in the country is still too high and must be further reduced. We will take additional steps to stem the tide of corruption and leakages – President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
Those were the words of the President of Nigeria during his new year broadcast to Nigerian citizens. Someone who tries to interpret this statement literally will imagine that the speaker wants to demonstrate his intention to scale up the fight against corruption. Many officials of the Presidency have quoted this statement earlier in the year in many international fora to suggest that the Jonathan administration has the political will to fight corruption. I encountered one of them who is also a kinsman of the President, in a session organised at the House of Commons of oil theft in Nigeria, recently. I respectfully requested that he should unbundle the rhetoric of political will peddled by Nigerian government about the fight against corruption.
Many scholars who have studied political will as it relates to fight against corruption in many countries insist that it neither originates nor exist in a vacuum. It must reflect in a set of circumstances and actions that reflect the leader’s values, desires and aspirations. Drawing from this assertion, my submission here is that President Jonathan has neither the political will nor the capacity to fight corruption. Sad isn’t it? I will explain how I came to this conclusion.
It is believed that corruption is present in some degree in all societies however it just finds easier homes in some countries like Nigeria than others. Former Prominent leaders like the Former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan exclaims that corruption is an evil phenomenon and an insidious plague found in all countries- big and small, rich and poor; that it is most destructive in developing countries where it disproportionately hurts the poor by diverting funds made for development and weakening the ability of government to provide basic services. Back home our President is not sure that corruption is one of the problems that deserves his attention. Curiously very few agencies under have made any public pronouncements that seem to counter the position of the President at least in theory. It seems that reform initiatives have been rolled back. No one can talk about continuity of efforts or application of sanctions. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has gone quiet, almost comatose. The little that the public hears about them is about withdrawal charges and lack of diligent prosecution with political flavours. Other like the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), infamously joined the appalling conversation differentiating between corruption and common theft! Now in a country where the President is leading a conversation of denial that seeks to drop the corruption down his priority list, how can someone taunt about political will?
An important aspect of political will for me is in spoken or written words- speeches manifestoes among others. I believe that our President is learned. At least he has a Doctorate degree. No one will image he does not understand the implication of such public statements on the perception of our country before the world. That he went ahead to make such statement and subsequently insisted on it; sends an important signal to the world. It means that he does not want to leave anyone in doubt about the position of his government. Now to imagine that this government still has people like Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala as a serving Minister beats my imagination. She was famous for her reform credentials. How can such a person be in Jonathan’s cabinet?
I have commented on the infamous Presidential pardon granted to former Governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. Some people insist that President Jonathan acted within his powers. True. I bother for those who worry about the policy implications of such decisions have now reconfirmed that we have a leader who does not give a damn about the world thinks about his actions. The case of very dubious plea bargain granted to Mohamed, son of the former dictator Sani Abacha, who is said to be preparing for politics, will remain topical for some time to come. The world is waiting for the results of the forensic audits allegedly commissioned by the Nigerian government on the National Oil Company. There is now conflicting report form the National Assembly about the alleged unremitted revenue observed by the former Central Bank of Nigeria. Under the supervision of President Jonathan, a man who is under prosecution for corruption became the flag bearer of the ruling party and was subsequently elected governor of a state. Alleged wanted criminals and fugitives who ran away from the law are party leaders in the ruling party. Till date no one knows the amount of oil being produced from the President’s home region even as the number being stolen is a mere guesswork.
The implication of all these have been very dangerous on citizens. When everyone believes that everyone especially the leaders are stealing, then everyone wants to get involved. That is why Nigeria has become a temple of dishonesty. From the vulcanizer to the driver, to the ticketing officers to the pilot, to the teachers in the school, the generals in the army, the combatants in the battlefield, and of course the bureaucrats- everyone wants to get a share. No one wants to be honest, because if you risk being honest, you will lose out. Our collective psyche has been messed up. And the cancer keeps spreading to all sectors of our national life.
With new committees sprouting every day and with the National Conference still extending, how does the President expect to fulfil his promise of reducing the cost of governance? For plugging the leakages and stemming the tide of corruption, I am sure Nigerians will wait for a while. I wonder how other serious countries think about us. Even the opposition party is no better, with some of their leaders among those have tainted past of transactional politics still hovering and jostling to take over the soul of the party. No one yet thinks that articulating a water tight program against the cancer of corruption should feature prominently in their or any agenda, yet they want to rule us. We, the electorate, have been taken for a ride with stomach infrastructure. What a country!
Uche Igwe wrote from Sussex Centre for the Study of Corruption, University of Sussex, United Kingdom. You can contact him on ucheigwe@gmail.com
