Corruption: What manner of fight?

Ibrahim Magu, EFCC Chairman

Ekpo Nta, ICPC Chairman

The country is agog. Everyone is waiting to see which big guns will go to jail. Suddenly, anti-corruption agencies have found not just their voice but also their muscle. Treasury looters are quaking in their ill-gotten boots. Some lily-livered crooks have reportedly returned part of their loot to escape the slammer.

The newspapers inundate us on a daily basis with allegations and counter allegations of corruption and mind boggling sums have been bandied. Yet there has been no conviction. Just hot air.

Media hype. This is Nigeria’s style of fighting corruption. This was supposed to be the fight of the century where corruption is given some uppercuts and the knockout blow. But the like the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao fight, it is becoming a very boring non-event. Corruption and the sheriff are dancing in the ring instead of blowing each other’s brains to pulp.

We are all making noise to impress President Muhammadu Buhari who we all believe will not tolerate any form of corruption. We are trying to show we are on his side so he will not frown at us like a stern headmaster and drop a few lashes on our behind. But are we really interested in fighting this curse called corruption?

The politicians who are screaming loudest about corruption are mostly those who were shortchanged and could not get their fingers in the pie. That is the number one reason our politicians jump from one party to another. They don’t cross carpet because of their beliefs and convictions. They do so because they feel they have been cheated in one way or the other. Then they start to shout “corruption” at the top of the voices.

But it was not corruption when they had initially been invited to “come and chop” according to Bode George. It only became corruption when they couldn’t get their fingers into the jar.

That is the reason the fight against corruption is tougher than it looks. Our politicians did not suddenly become born again. They are only paying lip service to the anti corruption fight.

They are just sycophants, playing to the gallery. They are trying to impress PMB. They are biding their time. They know Buhari has a maximum of eight years in the saddle. Then it will be business as usual.

What happens if the next president doesn’t have the same open hatred for corruption like PMB does? We all know that he is the only head of state/president since independence that cannot be accused of stealing public funds.

The way ICPC and EFCC are now flexing muscles shows this fight is a sham. Where have they been hiding? It is believed that they are reacting to the president’s body language. Do they have to watch the incumbent’s body language before they do the jobs they had taken an oath to do? If they did their jobs correctly they would not have to observe the president to perform. In fact even a sitting president should be afraid of them.

Femi Odekunle, a professor of criminology and a member of the Presidential Advisory Committee, the new anti-corruption outfit, said, “Buhari appears an oasis of integrity in a desert of corruption.”

If Buhari is a lone ranger then this fight may never be won. Instead it may even end up consuming him. He can only succeed if others join hands with him for the slugfest against the hydra-headed problem.

If PMB suddenly becomes corrupt I can bet you that the ICPC and EFCC will roll out red carpets to honour him. Then when his tenure is over and an unfriendly candidate succeeds him from another party – say APGA – they will find their voice again and dust up old allegations to hang the man of honour.

We don’t need strong men to fight corruption. We need strong institutions. If we don’t strengthen our institutions corruption will continue to reign supreme. We will only dance with it in the ring; we will never fight it let alone knock it out.