Corruption has been described as Nigeria’s major problem, hindering development, creating a wide gap between the rich and the poor. While the majority wallowed in poverty, few in government pocketed our commonwealth.
Since his election and inauguration, President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that the fight against corruption will be a top priority of his government. He has done this effectively by setting the tone at the top, what commentators has dubbed body language. Setting the tone at the top is very important in fighting corruption. It is the way that the top leadership will show from posture, statements, and action that corruption will not be tolerated. Setting the tone at the top is necessary but insufficient to fight corruption in a society where corruption is endemic because some deviants will continue with corruptible transactions no matter the tone set at the top. This is why the anti-corruption war in Nigeria must be comprehensive and well-focused.
Secondly, the Buhari administration has set up a Presidential committee on anti-corruption headed by renowned legal icon, Prof. Itse Sagay. The mandate of the committee includes among other things to formulate a strategy and co-ordinate the ant—corruption war of the administration ensuring that all sectors of the Nigerian society are involved in the fight. The committee should be working out its strategic approach and plans.
For the Buhari administration to win the war against corruption, it must learn lessons from the failure of past attempts. In our view, for the war on corruption to succeed, the administration must focus on six key areas.
First is to formulate a national strategy to fight corruption that is comprehensive and owned by the citizens of Nigeria. The importance of a strategy in the fight against corruption in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. The process of developing the strategy should be participatory and involve a lot of consultation of citizens across government, the private sector, and civil society. There is the need for Nigerians to have ownership of the fight against corruption otherwise it will be an exercise in futility.
Secondly, the war should focus on education of the citizens on the negative consequences of corruption and enlist citizens as soldiers for the fight. In this regard, the government must put in place mechanism to protect whistleblowers through legislation and concrete programmes. Situations in the past where whistleblowers are victimized and harassed should be avoided. Indeed, the government should launch a programme of war against indiscipline and corruption and enlist more people as whistleblowers.
Thirdly, the government should engage in corruption risk assessment of all government ministries, departments, and agencies and put in place integrity systems. The aim of the corruption risk assessment is to identify key corruption and fraud related risks in the public sector. The assessment will also help to identify vulnerable areas that are prone to corruption and proffer recommendations that will lead to the development of integrity plans that would strengthen accountability and transparency towards enhanced public service delivery.
Fourthly, the government should prioritise the prosecution of corrupt people especially in the short term to serve as deterrence to others. In this regard, there is the need to improve the capacity of prosecutorial agencies in investigation and prosecution. There is also the need for legislative reform including amendment of the evidence act, criminal and penal procedures act and enactment of Whistleblowers and witness protection laws to aid the fight against corruption.
In addition, the government must revisit the high-profile corruption cases that are well known to the public but appears to have been abandoned for political considerations such as the Halliburton and Siemens scandals.
Fifthly, the government should put in place system and the mechanism to recover stolen loot at home and abroad. There is the need for a clear procedure and protocol for asset recovery following the rule of law and where necessary amendment of the law to ensure a speedy recovery.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the government should launch a national programme on the war against corruption and indiscipline. The programme should focus on ethical re-orientation and sustenance of national values and ethos. The government by its actions should promote persons of value and integrity. List of national merit award should not essentially be people who have been guests of anti-corruption agencies and coup plotters. A major criterion for recognizing people should be integrity and values.
Conclusion
Corruption is bad for any society. It is partly responsible for the underdevelopment of Nigeria. The problem of corruption has been recognized by all in the country and efforts have been made in the past to address it. Unfortunately, previous efforts have failed to achieve the desired result.
The Buhari administration has displayed the commitment to fight corruption by setting the tone at the top.
But the administration must learn from the failure of previous attempts and focus the war properly so that corruption will be tamed in Nigeria. Failure to do so will be disastrous for future generations of Nigeria.
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