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HOW CORRUPT LEADERS INSTITUTIONALIZED CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA- NUHU RIBADU
From George Oji in Abuja, 01.20.2006
Chairman of the Econo-mic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mallam
Nuhu Ribadu yesterday took a swipe at the military regime that governed the
country between 1985 and 1998 and accused the leadership of that period of
institutionalizing corruption in the body politics of the country.
Ribadu said General Ibrahim Babangida, late Gen. Sani Abacha and Gen.
Abdulsalami Abubakar who governed the country for those 13 years made
corruption the guiding principle for running the affairs of the country.
The EFCC Chairman who spoke at the 3rd Media Trust Annual Dialogue in Abuja
yesterday on the theme "Corruption: The Trouble With Nigeria," also
disclosed that the efforts of his Commission in fighting corruption has
yielded more than N500 billion to the nation's coffers. He added that EFCC
has successfully prosecuted 35 corruption cases in various courts in the
country.
Justifying the freezing of Plateau State bank accounts on the order of a
Federal High Court in Lagos, Ribadu said the Court acted in accordance with
the provisions of the EFCC Act.
"The trouble with Nigeria is that we have allowed its influence to rule
every aspect of our national life, to the extent that it has in fact become
the way of life for mostâ? of our countrymen," he said.
He traced the first visible manifestation of corruption in the body politics
of the country to the Second Republic government of the National Party of
Nigeria (NPN) headed by Alhaji Shehu Shagari, which he said, "had very
little to show for the huge investment of confidence of the populace in the
new democratic dispensation which as they had promised would lead Nigeria
out of the woods."
"As it turned out, profligacy came to be what that attempt at civilian
governance came to be known and remembered for. Disrespect for the rule of
law started to manifest seriously during this period. Of course, there was
bare-faced, free-for-all looting of public funds through white elephant
projects. This period witnessed the massive erosion of the nation's morals
and ethics," Ribadu said.
The EFCC boss however praised the little efforts made by the military regime
of Buhari-Idiagbon, in addressing the issue of corruption, "Public officers
accused and convicted for corrupt practices were given as much as five
lifetime jail sentences each and all the ill-gotten wealth confiscated," he
said of the Buhari regime.
He regretted that the measures adopted by the Buhari regime "only scratched
the surface of the problem."
According to him, the Buhari-Idiagbon regime's attempts at facing up to the
problem, which achieved modest results in the direction of national
re-orientation "was rubbished by the actions of the subsequent military
regimes that governed the country between 1985-1998."
Ribadu said, under the Babangida, Abacha and Abubakar's regimes, "corruption
became the sole guiding principle for running affairs of state. The period
witnessed a total reversal and destruction of every good thing in the
country and positive values were jettisoned, agencies were decimated."
"The decline we noticed in the education sector today also started in that
period. The shameless rot in the aviation sector, the absence of an
efficient public transport system, the collapse of our public schools, the
thievery in the ports and the decay in our health care delivery system all
of which huge sums had been budgeted and spent are a direct reflection of
the poverty of leadership of that era.
"The military regimes of that period legitimized corruption and in effect
did not offer much to the Nigerian nation," he said.
Ribadu observed rather surprisingly that the Babangida-Abacha-Abubakar
administrations was the period when providence handed the nation her best
opportunity ever to get her acts right and make decisive move to pull
herself out of the backwaters of economic, social and political
underdevelopment.
"Unfortunately" the EFCC Chairman said that "the leadership of the time did
not have their eyes on the future; their eyes were set on the gravy train.
It is on record that we earned more money in comparative terms then than in
any other period in the history of Nigeria."
"But there was nothing to show for it. Instead, hundreds of millions of
dollars were wasted on projects and programmes that have recently been
revealed to be only conduit pipes to siphon Nigeria's money into foreign
accounts and personal projects," Ribadu said.
He said "The leadership we have been unlucky to be saddled with for most of
our lives as a nation has been that which has exhibited incompetence at the
highest level."
"This, has manifested in poor management of resources, both human and
material. It can also be seen in the army of sycophants and blind loyalists
who owe their sustenance and allegiances only to their benefactors.
"Rather than encourage and promote the virtues of accountability, respect
for the rule of law and patriotism, the leadership we had destroyed
institutions that sustain the growth of society, unleashing on the rest of
the people an army of blind loyalists with the explicit instructions to do
whatever it will take, or including brazen theft and violence to strengthen
their stranglehold on power," he said.
Ribadu observed that in societies where corrupt practices thrive, it is the
attitude of that society to corruption and its proceeds that act as
incentives to perpetuating corruption. He said in the case of Nigeria, "Ours
is an accepting, not a questioning society. We could sooner celebrate than
ask questions of those cutting corners for personal gains."
"People who suddenly come into wealth through acts of criminality or
corruption are the toast of the society. They are rewarded with Chieftaincy
titles while musicians wax special records to mark their coming of age," he
said.
The EFCC Chairman said for Nigeria to pull back from the brinks of
corruption "it must respect the rule of law, adopt a zero tolerance position
for corruption and strictly enforce sanctions against corruption, Nigerians
must have respect and patriotism for the country, elect selfless, honest and
courageous leadership and build and strengthen institutions for fighting
corruption."
Ribadu's description of President Olusegun Obasanjo as a "Great Leader" for
his efforts at fighting corruption in the country however drew jeers from
the public, and it took the intervention of Chairman of the occasion, Maj.
Gen. Garba Ali Mohammed to restore order in the hall.
Ribadu, who felt unperturbed by the attitude of the audience held
tenaciously to his views, explaining that his position was informed by the
self conviction that Obasanjo was not only the first Nigerian leader to have
shown serious commitment to fighting corruption, but also the "first leader
in the history of this country to have for the first time allowed those who
were closest to him to be investigated by us."
He cited the case of Mr. Tafa Balogun, some members of the National Assembly
as examples of Obasnjo's bravery.
He also swore in the name of Allah that Obasanjo has never personally
directed the Commission to go after anybody perceived as the president's
enemies. He said all the people his Commission have investigated are based
on public information of corrupt allegations against such people
Also speaking at the occasion, University don, Professor Attahiru Jega
observed that the trouble with the country was that of leadership not
corruption. He argued that it is bad leadership that breeds corruption and
that, "We have corruption as a problem because we have poverty of leadership
who have institutionalized corruption in the country."
He accused the nation's leaders of lacking the basic frameworks of good
governance, which he listed to include responsiveness, accountability, due
process, rule of law etc, hence running corrupt regimes.
He said it was wrong to hold the belief as some do that corruption is
inherent in Nigerians.
According to him, "There is perhaps no other country in the world where
absolute power corrupts absolutely than Nigeria."
Also Major General Ishola Williams (rtd) who spoke earlier aligned himself
with the position that leadership had been largely responsible for the
persistence of corruption in Nigeria, and that in addition to addressing the
issue of leadership, "we must exterminate corruption in Nigeria today,
lawyers and auditors must be incorruptible."
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