There are many unresolved problems in Nigeria, but the issue of the upsurge of corruption is troubling. And the damages it has done to the policy are astronomical. The menace of corruption leads to slow movement of files in offices, police extortion, tollgates fees and slow traffic on the highways, port congestion, queues at passport offices and gas stations, ghost workers syndrome, election irregularities, contract scam, among others. Even the mad people on the street acknowledge the setback caused by corruption. Corruption in Nigeria is a spiritual problem which means it is also found or cut cross all faiths, religious dominations and political system.

The menace of corruption always leads to slow movement of files in offices, police extortion, tollgates fees and slow traffic on the highways, port congestion, queues at passport offices and gas stations, ghost workers syndrome, election irregularities, contract scam, among others. Even the mad people on the street acknowledge the setback caused by corruption.
Since corruption is not new, and since it is a global phenomenon, it is not peculiar to Nigeria (in many European, African and Asian nations).

However, in Nigeria, corruption pandemic cuts across the leaders as well as the followers. If there is a lack of control of corruption in every sphere in the nation, it is then like the old saying: when water chokes you, what do you take to wash it down? Corrupt practices span a wide spectrum, ranging from petty corruption whereby bribes are required before normal bureaucratic procedures are accomplished to large scale corruption whereby considerable sums of money are paid in return for preferential treatment or even appointment and access.

Corruption and the clandestine hypocrisy of the EFCC, wears a twin garbs, like the chameleon, you can’t tell which side is the real deal and which one is a sham. In what I describe as a cataclysmic failure, the government in power and their cohorts are using all political expediency to correct the wrong some of their supporters and sympathizers did commit and ignorantly silencing oppositions. Like the saying goes when you cross carpet from the opposition party to ruling party a safe haven is granted where then is conscience?

We are knocking off corruption”, this statement leaves the agon clandestine hypocrisy of EFCC as the last resort to knocking it off. The critical ecstasy here was in 1999-2007 during a particular government regime, the anti-graft agencies were convoluted to the silent monster that wanted to oppose the head, which is a deja vu of we see today if not full blown already. No wonder only certain media houses are responsible for selling corruption on their headlines. The question on people’s mind is that how did Miana gain entry into the country, reinstated in an agency as a director and nobody knew even the watchdog charged with the responsibility of monitoring money misappropriated. What is the aftermath of the whistle-blower policy…have we jettisoned this also? This are some of the questions that remained unanswered.

However, there are many unresolved problems in Nigeria, but the issue of the upsurge of corruption is troubling. And the damages it has done to the policy are astronomical. The recently released 2017 Corruption Perceptions Index by Transparency International has expectedly sparked renewed debates on the successes and shortcomings of Nigeria’s fight against corruption. While President Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress were voted into office on the promise of fighting the endemic scourge of corruption, there have been concerns that it is not committed to doing so.

According to the Transparency International, Nigeria now ranks 148th (together with Comoros and Guinea) among 180 countries surveyed. Previous ranking for 2016 placed Nigeria at the 136th position with a score of 28% over 100%. The 2017 report indicates that corruption has gotten worse in the last 12 months. Rather than descending, Nigeria has climbed a few rungs upward on the ladder of corruption, scoring 27%.

More disheartening than the worsening corruption perception score is the response of the federal government. According to a statement released by the Presidency in response to Transparency International, the criteria and methodology used in arriving at the ranking is questioned; the government goes ahead to describe the ranking as fictional and unfortunate which unfortunate on their part. How do we explain some big wits with corruption cases decamping to the ruling party and their cases goes down six feet. How do we explain the reinstatement of the NHIS boss…this and many questioned has goes on exile.

My thought, there is something the APC led government could do to purge itself of this hypocrisy-probe; what happened to all the funds that was accrued to Saint Buhari during his campaign, the greatest saver of money Burutai and the Dubai episode, the Saraki asset declaration saga, the Ekiti Zenith Bank contest, the FFK money laundering act amongst others. With the recent rancour of Maina gate. Anything short of this would be what its critics tag it- a monumental fraud.

In Fela’s word ‘’Hear the words them dey take deceive the people: Misappropriation, Maladministration, Nepotism, Mitigation, Make I remember another one wey them dey use Defraudment, Forgerlization, Embezzlement, Vilification, Mismanagement, Public Inquiry, Authority stealing pass armed robbery. We situate this song to the recent call for government to probe the civil service and some minister in their short practices.

Nigerians are not fools and can’t trust the government of the day because the way and manner the issue of corruption is been handled calls for holistic probe. I believe National corruption is a reflection of family corruption and until sincere methodology of fighting this menace is handled no meaningful results can be achieved we will only been praising mediocrity.

To win the war on corruption, adherence to ethical standard in decisions making must be the foundation of nations’ policies.

[email protected]
Agada Stephen Michael

count | 107

THE POLITICS OF CORRUPTION AND CLANDESTINE HYPOCRISY OF EFCC By AG