Sadly, 12 months on, corruption continues to thrive with impunity in government circles and our public institutions, and the leadership seem unable or unwilling to take the draconian measures necessary to address this problem. The various probes in 2012 revealed the monumental scale of fraud and corruption in the oil sector. It is worth noting that all these would not have been possible without the express collusion of civil servants and public officials, who continue as in previous years to sabotage every effort to move the country forward. The pension fund scam and the Otedola/ Lawan bribery saga is still playing out before our very eyes. What else do our prosecuting authorities need to speed up the prosecution of these individuals? Your guess is as good as mine. Nigerians seem to live in a country where the law is only for the poor, to the eternal shame of corrupt elements of the judiciary. The so-called ‘big man’, who can buy justice, considers himself above the law. The British judge, in sentencing James Ibori to 13 years in prison for corruption and money laundering referred to the ex governor of Delta State as a common thief. This is exactly what they are, common thieves with bloated egos and no shame. It was interesting that the NTA, the country’s official broadcaster barely mentioned Ibori’s conviction in its daily news broadcast. It was inconsequential to the Nigerian Television Authority that an ex governor pleaded guilty in a foreign court to charges of corruption and money laundering amounting to $250m. ‘Ibori was simply unfortunate’, his supporters remarked. He probably would have been on the honours list for 2012 if he had not left our shores. This is the reality of Nigeria today where it seems that crime does pay indeed.
As a nation, our security report has never been worse. Many western governments are now advising their citizens against non-essential travels to Nigeria because of security concerns. Economic activity in major cities and towns in the North have almost ground to a halt because of incessant attacks and bombings that have left death and destruction in its wake.
The audacious attempt to assassinate the aged Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, and the daring attack on a convoy of troops en route to Mali last week sum up the state of the nation. We are a nation under siege. Only last month, the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s aged mother was kidnapped in her husband’s palace in broad day light, with all the security apparatus present. Even the rich and powerful, it appears, can no longer protect themselves. So as not to be outdone, armed robbery has taken on a new dimension. Robbers now operate in numbers one can only describe as an army – in regiments that can easily overrun most police stations.
Sadly, the police and our security officers have borne the brunt of the casualties from the escalating insecurity, with fatalities that must be numbered in hundreds in 2012 alone. Although the Police continue to give the standard response every time there is an incidence: ‘we are on top of the situation’, Nigerians know they are not. In fact they seem overwhelmed by it all; but who can blame them, after seeing the dehumanising conditions in their training colleges.
In the midst of all this chaos, Nigeria is projected to become Africa’s largest economy this year, fuelled in part by the unprecedented increase in revenue from oil. Sadly in the midst of plenty, the poor have sunk deeper into poverty, with poverty levels estimated in some states at 80 per cent. Meanwhile, the privileged few continue to take up an increasing proportion of the nation’s resources just by being in government, or in government circles. Just last year, the UK media reported that Nigeria had overtaken the US as Britain’s fourth largest group of foreign shoppers. One of London’s high street retailers, Debenhams, even has signs in Hausa to attract this group of shoppers they have identified as their biggest overseas spenders. Meanwhile, their backyard is on fire with over 70 per cent of their fellow citizens languishing in poverty, on less than a dollar day.
As we pray and hope for a more prosperous and peaceful 2013, our leaders, both at federal and state levels, must address the root cause of all our challenges – CORRUPTION. Corruption continues to consume the bulk of the country’s resources in spite of all the rhetoric on the war against corruption. These are the resources that could have been used to create job opportunities for the youths that are now turning to crime. We hear about prosecutions but no one of any note is in prison for this crime.
As the Inspector-General of Police, Abubakar Muhammed, alluded on his appointment, he leads a police force that has lost the confidence of the public; a force that is seen by the public as poorly trained, poorly equipped, poorly paid, deeply corrupt and in urgent need of radical reform. The President saw this first-hand in his surprise visit to the Police College, Ikeja recently. Regrettably, he seemed more concerned that Channels TV was given access to film and expose the decadence of the premier police training instutition. We hope that the President should now be asking the Police authorities what they actually do with billions of naira that are budgeted for these institutions every year. With the prospects of Somalia looming in the horizon, we may not have much time as a nation. President Goodluck Jonathan has had the Parry Osayande report on the reform of the Nigerian Police Force on his desk long enough. He must now implement the recommendations without further delay.
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