Corruption As Drawback

Farida Waziri, EFCC Chairman

Official corruption remains the bane of the nation’s development amid efforts to stamp out the menace
By Bayo Bernard
Unknown to many Nigerians, official corruption predates the nation’s independence in 1960. As far back as 1956, the late sage, Obafemi, Awolowo was charged by the British colonial authority for using government money to finance his party, the Action Group (AG). Though the premier of the defunct Western Region was never convicted for converting public fund to his personal use, he was nevertheless questioned for appropriating what belonged to the public to finance his party. This, according to the British masters tantamounted to official corruption. For over 50 years, the nation has been trying to wriggle out of what has remained a festering sore.
In the last 51 years, up to $450billion has accrued to the nation’s treasury through its economic mainstay, oil. But more than half of the proceeds was however, appropriated by corrupt politicians, leaving the country starved of enough funds for critical infrastructure and development.
No administration has ruled the country's post-independence era without having corruption allegations tied to its neck like the proverbial sword of Damocles. In 2003, Nigeria was rated the most corrupt nation by Transparency International (TI), the world anti-corruption watchdog. The revelation by TI came as a shock to Nigerians as the then administration of former president Olusegun Obasanjo had set up the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to tackle the menace. Moreso, the ranking became more worrisome as it was worse than the previous year’s rating when Nigeria ranked second most corrupt country on the TI’s list.
In fact, Obasanjo, a co-founder of TI was irked by the ranking that he opposed the allegations that much was not being done to nip the threat in the bud. In that year’s rating, Nigeria scored a mere 1.4 points out of a possible 10 in global survey of 133 countries to become the most corrupt country in the top ten category that also included two other African nations, Cameroun and Angola.
Dele Omorogba, a public analyst had then asked: “Why is it that not one person has been convicted in more than four years since the anti-corruption law was passed.”
Thus, more than eight years after Nigerians are still asking the same question: Why has the incidence of corruption in public places remained high despite the efforts of the anti-graft body, the EFCC to stamp it out?
Analysts insist that it would be difficult to wage a total war against corruption as long as the authorities turn a blind eye to apparent corrupt practices of government officials and refuse to punish individuals that are known to have dipped their hands into public coffers.
Political pundits also consider the corruption war as selective in the sense that individuals with high corruption allegations are known to be walking free, perhaps because of their connection with the government of the day, while those not lucky enough to be connected are punished, with the full weight of the law brought down on them.
In 2002, a United Nations expert on asset recovery, said at least about $120 billion has been discovered as Nigeria’s wealth stolen since the country’s independence by its rulers. Much of the fund was alleged to be stashed away in Swiss banks and other European nations.
The administration of former military president Ibrahim Babangida topped the list of the nation’s corrupt governments which according to investigations allegedly looted almost $25 billion. It was followed by the regime of the late General Sani Abacha known to have depleted the country’s treasury by over six billion dollars.
In the June 24, 1999 edition of the Financial Times of London, the magazine listed 21 former Nigerian politicians and military officials who owned foreign accounts stashed with public funds. The magazine quoted the UN as its source. The stolen funds according to the magazine are in different international currencies; Dollars, Pound Sterling, and Deustchmark.Top on the list is former President Babangida who was closely followed by former Head of state and cousin, General Abdusalami Abubakar (rtd). The list is swelled by other prominent politicians and retired army officers, including erstwhile National Security Adviser, Ismaila Gwarso.
Over the years, Nigeria has also become notorious for what is known as Advanced Fee Fraud or ‘419’. Not a few have fallen victims of this scam fashioned after the section in the Nigerian criminal code covering such activity. Many Europeans and Americans have been major victims of this particular scam perpetrated by criminally-minded Nigerians. Atimes, some targets, especially foreigners were known to have paid with their lives and losing their hard earned money to their predators.
According to the United States Secret Service, an American involved in the scam was found dead in Lagos in 1995. Also the State Department report on Nigerian Advance Fee Fraud has said that over 25 murders of Americans have been directly linked to the ‘419’ fraud.
According to investigations, the fraudsters make billions from their European and American victims every year.
Former United States Secretary of Commerce, Robert L. Mallett said: “U.S citizens lose approximately $2 billion a year to Nigerian fraud through credit card fraud, insurance fraud or 419 scam letters or counterfeiting. This he said, is more than half the value of US total export to Nigeria.”
Meanwhile, successive governments in the country since 1999 when Nigeria returned to democracy have been trying to reduce the incidences of corruption through the instrumentality of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Though analysts insist that the battle against corruption is far from being over, successes have been achieved in the last few years in the fight against the the menace.
According to investigations, no fewer than 100 persons have been convicted by the EFCC on money laundry cases while billions have been recovered from some criminal elements. Farida Waziri, the chairman of the anti-graft body said recently in London that over $9 billion has also been recovered by the agency from money launders in the last three years.
Despite this achievement, the anti-graft Czar insists that the war against corruption cannot be won as long as politicians in the country were allowed by foreigners to lodge the stolen funds in their countries.
Waziri: “I agree with the UN which says that around $148 billion is stolen from Africa by political leaders, the business elite and civil servants with the collusion and connivance of banking industries in Europe and North America.”