Corruption in Nigeria is systemic and profitable
―Ebuka Onyekwelu
Since the declaration of a war against corruption by President Obasanjo and the subsequent creation of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission- EFCC in 2003, three years after the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related crimes Commission-ICPC was created, Nigeria instead of taking a break from corruption, almost two decades after has continued to be more corrupt, with the political class wealthier and powerful from corrupt proceeds than ever, while the poor get poorer and helpless. Apparently, corruption in Nigeria cannot be defeated by EFCC, an anti-graft agency that has shown signs of obvious partisanship from its inception, playing the script of any political leadership in control of Nigeria’s central government.
It is commonplace and instances abound of cases prosecuted by EFCC for political reasons. In fact, for EFCC, the old saying that “he who pays the piper dictates the tune” comes alive and elegantly so. Those in opposition are usually more corrupt than those in the ruling party, at least for the most part. Nigerians have witnessed the recurring dramatic manner in which EFCC chairmen and their apparatuses go after political opponents of the government in power.
Those who are arrested or probed are largely determined by political concerns, not subsisting facts of the case in question.
This recurring rabid pursuit by EFCC is so easily enabled by the mere fact that those serving public institutions in Nigeria are empowered by the system around which they work, to be effortlessly corrupt and in consequence, several deeply corrupt practices have been established and entrenched, but usually never an issue until it becomes necessary for political reasons. Then EFCC suddenly develops interest, putting up theatrical shows, media trials of all sorts, tough-talking, in an attempt to prove that it is in a war against corruption and corrupt people in Nigeria. Corruption is grossly politicized in Nigeria and those who are arrested or probed are largely determined by political concerns, not subsisting facts of the case in question.
The fact of this matter remains that EFCC is a political agency and with Nigeria’s prebendal posturing, there is no way the anti-corruption agency can do better than a mere political attack dog that may in the cause of doing all the wrong things, also get a thing or two, right. But in truth, politics is the overriding essence of the existence of EFCC. This is better understood when the manner in which all past EFCC chairpersons have been dismissed from office, since inception.
From Ribadu to Waziri and now Magu. None had a smooth transition from the office and it is not entirely unexpected because they cannot successfully wage a war against corruption in a system where diverse forms of corruption has attained normalcy, with all interested parties getting share or cut from corrupt proceeds, while also checking the excesses of some political opponents, in Nigeria’s extremely dynamic political arrangement where an opponent today becomes an ally the next day, without difficulties, forcing interests to collide. EFCC chairpersons are always victims of political power play in Nigeria’s slippery political landscape. Under this arrangement, it is difficult to think that anybody is genuinely fighting corruption in Nigeria, instead, they are either fighting for political leverage of the powerful or for a share of wealth acquired through corrupt means. And maybe the real war against corruption is only an afterthought.
Governors allocate huge sums of money to themselves as security votes. The President does the same as well.
Corruption in Nigeria is systemic and profitable. There is a lot of “free” public money that rests in private pockets invariably acquired with so much ease. Government officials oftentimes spend unbudgeted public money without consequence. For instance, governors allocate huge sums of money to themselves as security votes. The President does the same as well. This particular expenditure is never accounted for and never in the budget, yet runs into stupendous amount freely taken from public purse without accountability. With government officials having access to unbudgeted public funds under any guise, how then can graft be successfully resisted?
In Nigeria’s public accounts system, the most important thing even for budgeted public money is to find good basis to retire the money. Just say that so and so amount was spent on this or that. Hence it is not difficult to find government claiming to have spent huge sums to do something they did not do. Also, this is why we see huge sums of money budgeted for things like planting flowers, office equipment, furniture, etc, in yearly budgets. Of course, you cannot plant flowers with the kind of amount it is usually allocated. You cannot also buy office furniture yearly. This is common sense, we all know this.
But the Nigerian system has its own way. This equally explains why there are so many substandard projects. In contract papers, the standards for implementation are specified but really, it is something below the known lowliest standard. Typically, most Nigerians will say, “ha, he even did something”. In other words, using public money to serve the public has become a privilege for Nigerians, while the money disappearing into private bank accounts has assumed the right of public officials and their enablers.
Those conversant with the workings of public management in Nigeria know that any amount of money can be retired and can be said to be used for what it is not used for as long as the proceeds are well shared among interested parties, there is absolutely no problem. Most times, a percentage of the proceeds are extended as tributary to those in charge of independent agencies of government in other to forestall chances of probe or indictment. It is commonplace to have diverted or embezzled public funds in Nigeria go round to those that matter in the equation. Here the Nigerian saying that “if you eat alone, you die alone”, holds sway and is religiously followed. Perhaps, it is for this purpose that “chop alone and die alone” was coined.
The EFCC as the most powerful anti-corruption crusader in Nigeria is only but a victim of the circumstance and reality within which it exists. An agency as powerful naturally attracts corrupt proceeds even without asking, simply because that’s how the system works. Governors, ministers, lawmakers and other well placed public officials maintain a give and take, rob my back, I rob yours, kind of relationship with joy killing agencies like the EFCC and others.
Anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria are mainstreamed in an endemic culture of pervasive corruption and this is part of why they often are too weak to fight a real war against corruption. As it is, no man can successfully lead the EFCC to fight a real war against corruption in Nigeria, under prevailing Nigeria’s fraught bureaucratic management system that enables easy access and feast on public money.
♦ Ebuka Onyekwelu, strategic governance exponent, is a columnist with the WAP
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