The allegation that President Muhammadu Buhari collected $300,000 and five armored Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) during the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan is shocking and disappointing to many Nigerians. Before the Presidency’s explanation that Buhari received only one armored and one untreated SUV in the aftermath of the attack on his convoy, the impression suggested official misconduct tending to corruption; a notion that justified public outcry amid the unfolding $2billion arms scandal involving former NSA, Sambo Dasuki. Even now, and despite the official debunking of the story, there is need to clarify whether Buhari did indeed solicit the vehicles, to which he was statutorily entitled as a former Head of State, or the vehicles were “gifts” from the NSA. This affair, if nothing else, has reinforced public cynicism that in Nigeria, everything or everybody has a price. This clearly is an embarrassment the president could have avoided.
There are several versions of what transpired but what is not in question is that the convoy of then former President Buhari was attacked in Kaduna last year. In the wake of that attack, Buhari, according to Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, received one armored and one untreated SUV from the Jonathan administration. Shehu in his twitter handle discounted social media reports that $300,000 and five SUVs were given to the President. But curiously, he did not say who initiated the transaction, and whether or not the President solicited the gifts. Nigerians are not convinced and deserve a full explanation.
There is need for full disclosure of the facts relating to the “gifts” and who initially made the request. Already, the PDP in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, said the President’s denial on his alleged benefiting from funds relating to the arms deal scandal from the office of the former NSA contrary to laid down procedure of dealing with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF,) underscores the need for a neutral and transparent body like an independent National Truth Commission to examine all issues relating to the handling of security votes and campaign funding.
The circumstances surrounding the vehicles may not exactly fit into illegality; it nevertheless leaves much to be desired in terms of public morality, accountability and transparency. More than that, it typifies a classical official endorsement of public officers’ abuse of their offices and the trust reposed on them by ordinary citizens. Nigeria has fallen prostrate to different shades of corruption. Any report of corruption involving the President, further imperils the moral standing of the nation. Questions necessarily arise over the conflict of interest inherent in this behavior. Therefore, for the leadership of Nigeria headed by President Buhari to scrupulously ensure that it is not tainted by the slightest whiff of corruption is both a moral and constitutional obligation.
Critics have charged that if Buhari indeed solicited the vehicles from the NSA and not from the SGF as is standard procedure for such transactions, he committed an offence against the constitution he swore to uphold. Section 6 of the Code of Conduct for Public officers embodied in the First Schedule of the 1999 Constitution and the Code of Conduct and Tribunal Act (CAP C15) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 states that: “A public officer shall not ask for or accept any property or benefits of any kind for himself or any other person on account of anything done or omitted to be done by him in the discharge of his duties… the receipt by a public officer of any gifts or benefits from commercial firms, business enterprises or persons who have contracts with the Government shall be presumed to have been received in contravention …unless the contrary is proved.”
The implication of Buhari in the scandal does not alter the enormity of the arms procurement fraud and the fact that $2.1 billion dollars earmarked for weapons simply disappeared in fraudulent and fictitious payments. But the implication could even be worse. This could be another example of the lack of morality in government. The scandal is a threat to the integrity of the regime and Nigeria’s democracy; it should be a motivation for Buhari to, at the minimum, expedite the investigation, in order to restore confidence in the government and the nation. Buhari needs to relieve himself of these distractions and this is about setting powerful precedence by personal example. If the president was induced into error, he should at the very least, express remorse for having shown poor judgment and let the people down. Refusing to admit responsibility or politicizing public criticism diminishes the presidency and creates an atmosphere of suspicion.
Either way, the decision to accept the gifts, even if unsolicited was at best, the product of bad advice. Buhari should have known; or was expected to know that accepting armored vehicles from the NSA was in violation of standard procedure. There is no question that in more advanced democracies, such an incident would have provoked serious investigations and possible sanctions.
In this context, Buhari did himself no favors when in apparent naivety he became enmeshed in the NSA scandal and as an after-thought, attempted to dismiss the whole affair as a non-issue. Yet the need to thoroughly probe the scandal remains imperative. It is a sad fact of the country’s democracy that such a trial of prominent people like the former NSA cannot take place without the President’s approval. Obviously, the revelation that Buhari solicited vehicles from the NSA is a pushback to embarrass the president and weaken his hand.
Ultimately, a redesign of Nigeria’s political and institutional architecture is required if the country is to abandon the sporadic and selective approach to fighting corruption and seriously tackle this cancer. Sadly, the Buhari administration did not come to power with a plan for one. There should be a rethink of policies that place excessive powers on politicians and bureaucrats over vast economic resources. But the ultimate responsibility rests on President Buhari. He can arrest the drift if he reaches out beyond narrow, self-interested circles, for ideas that will promote effective functioning of national institutions.
The public has been riveted by allegations of monumental corruption in the weapons procurement regime. A host of shadowy companies were illegally paid millions of dollars, for arms and equipment they never supplied. The revelations were particularly galling and Nigerians have rightly insisted that individuals and companies implicated in the scandal must be brought to justice. President Buhari should ensure that justice is done. He must demonstrate leadership and take responsibility for the quality and performance of national institutions. All institutions of government should play a transparent and exemplary role in the trial of all persons involved. The fate of the President’s entire agenda may well rest on the manner in which this monumental corruption scandal is handled.
