THE conviction of Chief Olabode George, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and five others, for corruption has deceptively revved hopes that government is serious with the fight against corruption.
Corruption is at such high levels that conviction of a couple of people would still not bring the message home that corruption is not only a crime but one that destroys the economy and society. Their crimes captured in 47 charges were committed while they served on the board of the Nigerian Ports Authority from 2001-2003.
The authorities then shielded them from prosecution by dragging investigations into their tenure. Investigations into the N84 billion fraud had to be repeated on the orders of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was reluctant to try Chief George.
More people like him are still outside the range of the law because they are in tandem with the authorities. It is therefore a bit heart warming that President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua has restated his determination to tackle corruption.
“The level of corruption in our country today does not justify the sustenance of the immunity clause whatever its other merits, since there is the need everybody accountable for all their actions,” the President told Yoruba Council when it visited him on Tuesday.
More than words are required to fight corruption. The President is still under the illusion that immunity is the main obstacle to battling corruption. Most corrupt people do not have immunity. From Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution, only 74 Nigerians have immunity from prosecution while in office.
The President, Vice President, 36 State Governors and 36 Deputy Governors make up this number. However, anyone who can peddle any level of influence loots the treasury, abuses office with impunity. Ministers, legislators, Commissioners, party chieftains, are in a legion of the mighty who live above the law. It is in this light that people see the jailing of Chief George as an aberration. More succinctly, Chief George is deemed to have fallen out of favour or is being punished in lieu of his principals who still operate above the law.
Complaints about corruption in the 774 local government councils across the country, for instance, have not enjoyed the attention of the anti-corruption agencies. In 10 years of civilian rule the trillions of Naira that went to this tier of government have been squandered between elected council officers and Governors.
The poor state of rural Nigeria is one of the best evidences that money statutorily allocated to this segment of the country does not get to the people. If our governments were a little more caring, Nig e r ia n s w o u l d h a ve been spared the pains the greed of t h o s e w h o have access to publc funds cause.
“We continue to support the financial and moral independence of the anti-corruption agencies, as well as try to make corruption unattractive by ensuring that anyone found guilty is sanctioned according to the law,” the President said.
The challenge remains clearing the multi-faceted obstacles to prosecuting suspects. The President can be more helpful.
The much I can say here is that it is true that it has got to the level where almost every negotiation or transaction in the country is now fraught (tainted) with the cankerworm such that it will take such a drastic measure or approach to reduce the effect on the economy and the attitude of the citizenry. You notice that in some of the encounters about any service you require to be rendered from the public office holders sometimes more often than none get delayed and doesn’t move until you have ‘sprayed’ – you have made some token gesture financially. One important factor that will help to check this is how the Courts and or the Tribunals see and go about the effects on the progress we are craving for this country. Look at the pronouncement last Month by the Court against Bode George and his associates – a crime that will normally attract a minimum of 7 years with some hard measures attached ended up as if they had been to a social gathering and disrupted the functions. It was a mere slap on the fist mate – you don’t announce this kind of sanction for the kind of crime said to have been indicted for, folks! We have now to wait for the appeal and to see what happens – whether the sentence will be confirmed or reviewed upwards, as is usually the case out here in London. Ladies and gentlemen, we need to be seen to be doing something serious about this cankerworm in our society or we shall not be regarded as being serious people. Worse still is the new thing – plea bargain, which to me compounds the problem; i.e. we are leaving it open ended for the officials with the tendency to be meddlesome or helmed-in.
Talking about corruption, what about the other more worrying aspect of the malaise, which is debauchery in the higher Institutions (Universities) by lecturers and particularly at work places by employers of labour, folks? In all of this we are still reluctant to do something about that Sec. 308 – immunity in our Constitution, for example. Whilst other nations are doing something to clamp down on the loopholes about this corruptive tendencies and factors in the public generally we appear to be encouraging the practice. The much from me is that I have tried again to proffer solutions about this issue, which you’ll find in that “Home Grown DEMOCRATIC approach” and I pray that the Administration is persuaded to consider the idea – it will help us in NIGERIA, folks! What it means, if we decide to accept it for Nigeria, is that hence forward, public office holder, “You are on your own in whatever malpractice you find yourself from now!” Thank you.
Vincent London
search google/yahoo for; reparations or confiscation
follow the links until we arrive at “Home Grown ……..” lets see your reaction!
My brothers, wait a little to hear the result of the appeal on November 6 or 9.