It had never occurred to me in my wildest imagination that there will be a time in life a policy initiated by Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Rtd) can be punctured by any living soul until when he left the Khaki for civil life as an elected president.
When GMB became the tenant of Dodan Barracks vide a military coup in 1983, I was then a reporter with the rested Jos based weekly radical publication, The Analyst Magazine, and Dodan Barracks, the seat of power was my bit.
As a curious radical journalist, I developed interest in the policy initiatives of Gen. Buhari and his then no-nonsense Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters, Gen. Suleiman Babatunde Idiagbon of blessed memory.
Through concerted efforts and sincerity of purpose, corrupt practices and indiscipline were disappearing from national scene. Nigeria was fast regaining its lost glory as a respected entity in the comity of nations.
But unfortunately, the reverse of what Gen. Muhammadu Buhari used to be is now the case as it appears. Is that the Muhammadu Buhari I used to know as a ruthless and fearless person now the chief tenant of Aso Rock Villa in Abuja? I still wonder.
Whatever it may be, unlike majority of Nigerian political leaders whose love for “good life” financed from stolen public funds that leads them to developing protruding bellies and fat necks and undetected ailments after assuming office, President Muhammadu Buhari seems to have lost weight initially on assumption of office in 2015. Granted he wasn’t in good health but it was still a sign that unlike others, he wasn’t interested in gorging himself on the ‘dividends’ of office. In addition to his medical ailments, it was doubtful if PMB had peace of mind in his leadership then. The majority of Nigerians bought into this idea of an aggressive anti-corruption war which is a panacea to our problems.
Also despite all his good intentions, the much touted anti-corruption war is fast running into a farce. Fighting corruption isn’t about convicting criminals on the pages of newspapers. It’s about convicting people in the law courts with unassailable evidence. It’s about arresting and convicting compromised judges. It’s about strong institutions not strong individuals. It’s about closing loopholes in government release of public funds. Regrettably, PMB’s war against corruption is degenerating into a media circus and entertainment industry. As a result of the “whistle blower” policy, the nation was regaled with pictures of millions in currency notes supposedly “found” after reportedly being left unattended at airports, closed shops, empty apartments, domestic safes, safety tanks etc. The only thing never found till date are the owners of those “stolen monies and abandoned properties”. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is gradually becoming a huge laughing stock. Seemingly fixated on naming and shaming suspects rather than obtaining convictions and keeping them away from the larger society, they are yet to develop a holistic and impartial approach to fighting corruption. They detain some without charges, whilst others with similar allegations continue to hold sensitive positions in local, state and the federal governments. Some were convicted but yet to start serving their jail sentences for reasons best known to the EFCC. There was one John Yakubu Yusufu, the jailed Police Pension thief who was roaming the streets after conviction until the game was exposed he was nabbed and sent to Kuje prison to wait for his appeal if any. Nigerians are not told on how the convicted thief escaped going to prison from the court of conviction. We are still waiting for a convincing explanation of who was behind the drama and why. Former EFCC acting chairman, Ibrahim Mustapha Magu, could not account on how John escaped from the court of conviction premises into hiding.
We were told of how some detained suspects in EFCC custody and those in correctional centres bribe some operatives to run errands for them including use of mobile phones etc. We are told that there is preferential treatment of prisoners in the correctional facilities as there is discrimination in the fight against corruption.
The war against corruption with the absence of real and determined detectives is looking more and more like a political charade and a Kanny wood drama play. Look at the recent exposed scandal in NIRSAL. How the managing director allegedly wrecked havoc on the organization with the support of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Governor of the Central Bank and possibly the presidency may not be aware of the scandals but the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as chairman of the Board of NIRSAL, cannot deny being fully aware. Why was the embattled NIRSAL managing director allowed a stay in office after the expiration of his tenure in December 2020 till his tenure was renewed and lately sacked and thrown to the street? Ibrahim Magu was suspended from office on the strength of mere allegations that attracted the attention of Mr. President who ordered a probe but Aliyu Abati AbdulHameed of NIRSAL remained untouched. Why the selective justice? Or was NIRSAL managing director fronting for a cabal in the presidency or acting the script? Time shall tell!
There was a celebrated case in 2017 of installment of the media circus the “discovery” of cash reportedly totaling $43.4million, 27,800 pounds sterling and N23.2million in an unoccupied flat in highbrow Ikoyi area of Lagos. The National Intelligence Agency (NIA) was flirting, its reputation into ridicule by sudden claim of the ‘abandoned’ billions. The NIA wasn’t a revenue generating agency but a security outfit. Budgeted funds are released monthly by the respective ministry and monies meant for MDA’s are usually kept in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) with the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN. It was scandalous and immoral that in a country where the vast majority of the people live below the international poverty line, where gratuities, pensions and salaries aren’t paid promptly, where government schools and hospitals are shambolic, and where basic infrastructure is dilapidated, that a security agency could attempt to justify keeping the equivalent of N13billion in an unguarded apartment, makes it unbelievable and laughable.
Nigeria keeps giving the international community reasons to deride, ridicule and mock the people.
It was difficult for anyone with a capacity to reason not to be cynical about NIA’s claim until its director-general was arrested, detained and released on bail and jumped the bail along with his wife for fear of going to jail and that same rogue headed NIA as a security agency.
Idly, the only logical nexus between the NIA and the money would have been if the building was theirs. If truly the money belonged to the organization and was hidden in that unguarded apartment, then the agency could have been renamed “The National Unintelligent Agency”! The public was expected to simply believe that the NIA was incompetent and careless, and EFCC operations weren’t well coordinated.
That was an imagination because both of the agencies (NIA & EFCC) employed seasoned professionals. Deceit is now being elevated into an instrument of government policy. Nigerians have a right to know the truth and the whole truth of the abracadabra that ensued. There are so many unanswered questions and several cases related to crude oil bunkering.
In the first instance, why did a government security agency kept foreign currency in an unguarded rented building that isn’t a bank or a secured location? What was the motive of such pretentious carelessness? How long was the money kept in that unguarded apartment? Who approved the release of that money to NIA and for what purpose? Why didn’t the EFCC keep surveillance on the building to see who entered and left before the raid when the whistle was blown? Vigilant observers noted that in the released published photos of the ‘discovery’, keys of the safe were there intact. Why were the keys not hidden by the NIA as ‘owners’ of the money in the safe? The dollars were in batches and new. Why was it so difficult to trace the origin of the serially numbered notes? The whole drama was indicative of a failing system.
Honestly, one is at liberty to liken the NIA’s claim of ownership to Dasukigate where authority was given to him from the highest office to wrongly appropriate public funds and disburse them in a manner to frustrate accountability. There is no law in Nigeria that limits how much cash any individual can keep, so simply seizing cash hauls is no achievement as EFCC wants us to believe. What stops the EFCC from investigating the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (Tetfund) that allegedly ferried over N30billion to the 2015 presidential campaign of former president Jonathan? Who was then in-charge of the release of such humongous amount? Let Tetfund be probed.
It must be proved that the hauled money represents proceeds from corrupt practices and those responsible must also be jailed. There are cynics who believe that all the EFCC “discoveries” are a ruse to distract from the hopelessness, squalor, fear, decease, and almost permanent lack of electricity engulfing the nation. It’s difficult to fault their logic when truthfully everything is falling apart. Precisely of what use are anti-corruption and code of conduct agencies when accused Senators are cleared by the Senate, accused Judges cleared by the Judiciary, and accused members of the Federal Executive Council cleared by the Presidency? Corruption is successfully fighting back. If nothing changes soon, then the people may have no option than to subscribe to Omoleye Sowore’s brand of revolution for the inevitable to retrieve what was stolen and hidden and to post those criminals to their ancestors wherever they may be. If certain allegations are buried today, after 2023, we shall inject lives into them for proffer investigation after the exit of the Imam. 2023 remains the most ideal year for the real change of leadership from the top to the bottom. We have to start afresh!
Muhammad is a commentator on national issues.
