For those who say Nigeria is a country where wonders shall never end, a new example is the ostrich-fatalistic response by the presidency to the latest report by Transparency International (TI) that since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in 2015, corruption in Nigeria has grown worse. In its damning verdict on Nigeria’s anti-corruption war, TI ranked Nigeria 149th out of 179 countries on its 2020 Corruption Perception Index (CPI); the worst since 2013. With that rating, Nigeria dropped three points from its 2019 ranking of 146th; in 2018, Nigeria ranked 144 out of 180. The latest rating is a major blight on the toga of Buhari’s war on corruption that reinforces public perception that the whole anti-graft charade is just a smokescreen to harass and intimidate political opponents. But in a brazen show of megalomania, the Presidency challenged the sources of TI data saying: “This report is not an accurate portrayal of the facts on ground” and claiming the Buhari administration deserves credit for its anti-graft efforts. This presidential non-denial denial is an insult to the Nigerian people carried too far, which does little credit to the image of the President, whose promise of a new dawn in public probity formed the pillar of his political covenant with the people prior to his election mandate. The aura of arrogance in the combative and bizarre presidential riposte is a contradiction that mocks Buhari and all his pretences to fighting corruption. This is the tragedy of Nigeria!
The 2020 index was jointly-led by New Zealand and Denmark as the least corrupt countries in the world; followed by Finland, Switzerland and Singapore. In the latest assessment, TI said corruption in Nigeria increased by 25 points; the same points with Cameroon, Mozambique, Madagascar and Tajikistan. Nigeria ranks ahead of Somalia, which sits at the bottom, South Sudan, Sudan, Congo, Chad, Burundi, Guinea Bissau and a few other African countries. Nigerian however, fell short of its peers such as Angola, Egypt, Algeria, Kenya and many others. TI, in its report, insisted that Nigeria could take some strategic steps to address corruption, particularly ensuring transparency in the utilization of Covid-19 relief funds by state and non-state actors. The report also called for appointment, appraisal and promotion of public servants on merit, adding that the National Assembly must speed up the passage of relevant anti-graft laws. The global anti-graft watchdog equally called for police reform, a transparent monitoring framework for security votes; the constitution of the national council on public procurement as well as enthroning a democratic and free civil space.
Stakeholders have described the latest rating as evidence of President Buhari’s failure to fight corruption in fulfillment of his campaign promises in 2015, when he won the presidency on the tailcoats of his perceived personal integrity to fight corruption. Yet, Nigeria’s position in the CPI has gotten worse in the past six years. As of 2012, Nigeria had lost an estimated $400 billion to corruption since independence. The oil and gas sector which accounts for over 60% of public revenue and about 90% of exports is rife with graft. Last December, the Senate uncovered how the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, headed by Buhari, spent N14m and N46m on procurement of pens and letterhead papers respectively. The upper legislative chamber also raised corruption allegations of another $21 billion, involving the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
In a rather bizarre response to TI’s rating, the Presidency said the Buhari administration deserves credit for diminishing corruption in the public service. A statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Garba Shehu said: “We are currently analyzing the sources of data used in arriving at the latest Transparency International (TI) report on Corruption Perceptions Index in Nigeria since by their own admission; they don’t gather their own data. This report is not an accurate portrayal of the facts on ground. In the coming days, the Government’s Technical Unit on Governance Research (TUGAR) will be providing more detailed information on the sources of the TI data.”
“Although this is a government ready to learn from mistakes and make corrections…we are also not unaware of the characters behind the TI in Nigeria whose opposition to the Buhari administration is not hidden. We have repeatedly challenged TI to provide indices and statistics of its own to justify its sensational and baseless rating on Nigeria and the fight against corruption. We expect them to come clean and desist from further rehashing of old tales…Equally, we urge our friends in the media, development partners and the civil society organizations to continue to support efforts to strengthen accountability, transparency, ethical values and integrity in Nigeria’s public sector. President Buhari has put his hand to the plough and will not relent in working with those passionate about the welfare, stability and prosperity of future generations to come in Nigeria,” the presidential statement noted.
Without equivocation, the Presidency’s decision to attack the messenger because they dislike the message is a huge disservice to Nigeria. Both in his personal capacity and as president of this republic, Buhari promised in his victory speech that “we shall strongly battle another form of evil that is worse than terrorism; the evil of corruption which attacks and seeks to destroy our national institutions and character.” Having noted the “pervasive corruption” in his inaugural speech, he promised “responsible and accountable governance at all levels of government” and charged the judiciary to “act with dispatch on all cases especially on corruption, serious financial crimes, or abuse of office.” Regrettably, five years later, the situation has only gotten worse. It is indeed perplexing that the Presidency’s uncompromising response is anchored on face-saving and self-serving arguments and excuses for reducing Nigeria to a desperate state of anomie, where corruption, impunity and absurdity reign supreme.
That notwithstanding, the presidency’s insistence that TI must disclose the source of their data for their CPI on Nigeria to be credible; is a display of immaturity and arrogance. Because political leadership is key to the change which the APC promised the electorate, the Nigerian presidency must commit itself to, and be seen to so execute, rectitude and an integrity-driven government. The only effective leadership is by example and the presidency, as the pinnacle of authority and power, must earn and claim without an iota of doubt, the moral high ground from which it can prosecute the war against the hydra-headed corruption monster. The past five years have unveiled many untidy, sordid, mind-bending public financial transactions; showcasing Nigeria as Corruption Inc.
While other nations use state authority and power to force their leaders to account for past misdeeds, in particular corruption in office, as it happened with Ehud Olmert in Israel; Hosni Mubarak in Egypt and in the case of Hosni Mubarak and Thaksin Shinawatra in Thailand, Nigeria deploys state power to help criminals of repute get away with horrendous acts of corruption at the altar of political expediency. Under Buhari, Nigerians have seen the worst of what power can be used for – a means of oiling the machinery of evil, fraud, corruption, brigandage, lawlessness and a bargaining power for electoral success. In all of these, Nigerians who are traumatized by lack in every area, who contend with decrepit infrastructure and groan under the yoke of poverty are the ultimate losers.
The self-righteous indignation and insipid presidential response to the depressing TI report is a sad commentary on the fight against corruption in Nigeria; in addition to being the shame of a nation. As the main opposition PDP noted in a statement: “The record of unbroken decline from 136th in 2016 to 144th in 2018, 146th in 2019 and now 149th in 2020, under President Buhari, the African Union (AU) Anti-Corruption Champion, settles the now notorious fact that the Buhari administration and the APC are titleholders in corruption.” Regardless of the damage this latest TI report may occasion to the soul of the nation and the psyche of its people, let every corrupt person who enjoys government’s protection today, however, know that the days of reckoning are inevitable, after all. In this instance, history is not on Buhari’s side.
