By Jide Ayobolu, jideayobolu@yahoo.co.uk

Oct 20, 2006

When the Obasanjo administration came on board in 1999, one of the cardinal policies of his government was the promise made to the people that, it would wage a relentless war against corruption. He said there would be no sacred cows, and no stone will be left unturned to rid the country of the menace of corruption, which was fast turning the country into a pariah country amongst the comity of countries. To this end, the ICPC and EFCC were set up as government agencies to fight corruption. But the fight against corruption in Nigeria since 1999 has not only been a lip service, but it has also been unduly politicized. The ICPC has become more or less a lame duck or a toothless bull dog that keeps barking but never bites. While the EFCC has indeed become a willing tool in the hands of the president to deal with perceived political enemies, because of political vendetta to score cheap political goals. The fight against corruption has been one-sided, or lopsided, not only this, the rule of law, constitutional process, judiciary process and indeed the due process have all been thrown to the thrash can in order to nail political opponents at all cost and render them functionary impotent and turn them into political liability.

Both the government of the day and the EFCC are always wont to say that, more than any other government of the day, they have made bold attempts at tackling corruption in the real sense of the word. But in reality, what they have succeeded in doing is just a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing. The fight against corruption is used by General Obasanjo to ensure at all cost that those opposed to his tenure elongation agenda, are made to support his tenure elongation agenda willy-nilly, so that, he can hold on to political power ad infintium, not minding the position of the constitution, and the wishes as well as desires of the Nigerian people on the contentious subject-matter. While it is on record that those in the political camp of the president, and who have continued to support his inordinate political ambition have continued to steal the resources of the country blind. For instance, Senator Ibrahim Mantu collected money illegally from the PTDF account but his name was never mentioned. Mantu was indicted over last year failed hajji operations and the misappropriation of N400million. Mantu was fingered in the distribution of N50million bribe to senators during the third term debate in the National Assembly. Yet nothing has been done to him, he has remained the deputy senate president. Also, the involvement of Bode George in the N84billion in the NPA is still there, government has refused to move against him, because they are both friends of the president.

Yes, the president enjoys immunity but he can at least be investigated, the EFCC has refused to this on a number of issues, namely, who really owns the Bell’s University of Technology? Who supplied eggs and poultry products to COJA running into billions of naira? Who has the largest shares in Virgin Nigeria, Arik Air, UBA, Zenith Bank and Unity Bank? Who owns Obajana Cement Factory? Who has the largest shares in Transcorp, and how did Transcorp acquire Nitel? Where is the N6.4billion that was raised during the presidential library fund-rising that was clearly illegal? Just to mention, but a very few instances of negligence of duty on the part of the EFCC. The president is seen to be above the law and can therefore do no wrong. And, since he is the one that appoints the chairman of EFCC, and funds the agency, EFCC has no alternative but to follow his line of thinking, since, he who pays the piper dictates the tune. Furthermore, a close comparison of comparative political corruption in Nigeria shows evidently that there are cases of corruption now than at any other time in the history of this country, and this is carried out in very high places in government, and the president is the most guilty. If this is not true, let the government set up a panel to look into who got what and how in the on-going privatization exercise as well as sales of oil blocks since 1999, with Chief Gani Fawehinmi as the chairman of the panel. Corruption has been an official policy of the state since 1999, in spite of the government’s posturing, as it always says, it will not be business as usual; it has indeed been business as usual since 1999.

And, the president is using the fight against corruption to re-position himself to be able to hold on to power. Those working in the anti-graft agency too are interested in political power also, so what do we have? We have a situation where the president and the EFCC are using state power to discredit and cause disaffection for candidates that they perceive are threat to their political ambition, the president have said repeatedly that, he does not know who will succeed him, but he knows people that will never succeed him. This statement is not only undemocratic; it was said in bad taste and faith. The president has no business determining who succeeds him; it is the duty and responsibility of the Nigerian people to determine who they want to be president. The president cannot however, have made such a statement if he has nothing to hide. It is indeed in a desperate bid to cover up, his past misdeeds, that a lot of political contraptions, land mines and booby traps are being erected all over the political landscape in the build up to the 2007 elections in order to scuttle the political cum electoral process.

Again, it has been said that President Olusegun Obasanjo suffers from “the donkey syndrome” you know when a donkey is taken to a stream to drink water, after drinking water, what it then does, is to get into the stream proper, scatter the water very well and make it very muddy, so that, it will not be useful for those that want to make use of the water after it. In the same token, here is a man that had been condemned to death, but by the stroke of luck, and pressure from all quarter within and outside the country, the death penalty was commuted to a 15 year jail term, after spending a little over three years, he was released and people rallied round him and made sure he became the president of country against the expectations of very many perspective Nigerians. Now, he has so much enjoyed the perks and perquisite of office that, he does not want to relinquish power again. He wants to be Nigeria’s Mobutu Seseko or Eyadema. Now because of this anomaly, governance has been relegated to the background, the people are suffering, there is general economic hardship and there nothing that is working in the country. So, while those in government are busy pursing their personal political interests, the people of the country are suffering immeasurably as a result neglect of responsibilities by people who claim to be governing them.

This is why Obasanjo has worked assiduously to destroy the various institutions of democracy that can help sustain the process of democratic governance in the country and bring about a sustainable democratic culture, what we have instead, is the building of personality cult around the president, if he is not there, then nobody can do it. He is the only one that can govern Nigeria successfully; this kind of myopic political conception is responsible for the lawlessness that is presently occurring in various parts of the country. Those at the helm of affairs have failed to learn anything good from history and those who have failed to learn and have brought on the country so much, pain and agony will sooner than later become part of the relics of history.

The most important thing for the president to know now is that, his tenure terminates next year, let him conduct a free, fair and transparent election, he should not allow the electoral process to be manipulated in any way, and should not jeopardize the chances of any candidate, instead, he should create a level-playing ground for all political comers, but in doing all of this, the president must not forget his responsibilities to the Nigerian people.

By Jide Ayobolu

No 19 Gongola Street

Garki 2

Abuja-Nigeria