It’s an open secret, home and abroad, that corruption is synonymous with Nigeria. As disheartening as that may seem, it’s the bitter truth. This phenomenon which has eaten deeply into the Nigerian system. So, when Nigeria’s newly elected president, Muhammadu Buhari, declared his intention to fight corruption to a standstill, by embarking on an anti-corruption crusade, the shouts of doubts from pessimistic Nigerians, who have given up on the system, outweighed the praises from the hopefuls, who in the spirit of patriotism, haven’t given up on having the Nigeria of their dream.
A trip down memory lane, Buhari tried to curbed the menace of corruption as a Military President from 1983-1985. His performance in that area, gave him high ratings among political analysts and observers. But times have changed. Old methods which were effective in that era may not be as effective in tackling the same problems anymore. Present day technologies, which were absent back in the day, are now used as tools to facilitate corrupt practices, making it somewhat difficult to detect. Also, in a democratic government, old heavy handed methods are now obsolete and unacceptable. Alleged corrupt officials are entitled to their fundamental human rights which involves the not so effective judiciary.
Another potential problem with Buhari’s agenda is how he will manage the complex cases he will have to be involved with indirectly. How will he deal with the alleged corrupt elements within his own party without facing an internal backlash? Prosecuting officials and members of the opposition alone however will look like a witch hunt.
While the dogged anti-corruption approach of probations and trials of suspected corrupt officials and eventual persecution of the guilty ones may tame corruption and bring some level of decorum to the system, it will only last for a while, without long term benefits. To effectively combat corruption, there’s the need for the Nigerian government to formulate and implement strong anti-corruption policies that will thwart plans of corrupt practices. That way, there’ll be little or no chances of carrying out corrupt practices, as the searchlight of the law will beam brightly on government parastatals, exposing even the smallest perceived acts of corruption.
Given that policies are not terminated with political tenures, they’ll outlive government officials, thus, checking the activities and records of both current and future officials. According to the popular Nigerian saying “Soldier goes, Soldier comes, barrack remains.” With these policies, the seats of government will be guarded, leaving no room for illegitimate and unconstitutional activities, regardless of who is in office.
It’s imperative to note that there have always been anti-corruption policies in Nigeria, but embedded in them, are some loopholes that are easy to maneuver by the “intelligent” corrupt officials. And this is even made easier for them by the lackadaisical approach of the authorities in enforcing these laws.
Corrupt government officials will always device means to loot funds. To apprehend them, the authorities need to come up with new strategies to outsmart them. The formation of special panel was a step in the right direction but the success or failure of Buhari’s crusade will depend on how he is able to manage these complexities and still show the electorates great or tangible results before the next elections.
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