The Whiff of Change
Barely one month after the March 28th Presidential election; the hand-over has not yet been done but there are indications pointing to the scepticisms expressed earlier by some concerned Nigerians about the candidacy of General Muhammadu Buhari and the APC platform. Judging from the utterances, actions and body languages of the purported winners of the election, there are indications that the much touted change may be one of those political will-o’-the-wisps after all. I have painstakingly gone through the acceptance speech of the president-elect and I did not see anything cheery in it apart from the usual change and anti-corruption platitudes. Rather than unfold their so-called progressive programme of action, the APC group is smugly scampering about how to share their booty as if Nigeria has just been conquered by them.
From the mouth of the President-elect we heard that the expected change may take a longer time to come and the rescue of Chibok girls and the end of Boko Haram insurgency may also not be immediate. Meanwhile APC media hirelings especially in the social media platforms have continued to churn out lies and misinformation with reckless abandon.
Since the proclamation of the result of the presidential election, things have been happening in quick succession. I was still trying to find appropriate interpretation and riposte to the GMD decision to single out Sanusi’s alleged missing $20 billion from NNPC for probe when I heard the shocking news that African Independent Television (AIT) has been banned from covering the president-elect’s activities. I have ever since pondered the implication of this. Is it the foretaste of the wrath to come: the gagging of the press and freedom of expression or the return of the civilian version of the obnoxious Decree 4? There is obviously no tenable reason for this faux pas. This is an unacceptable intimidation of the press. I expect the president- elect to stop sulking and rise above the pedestrian level and brace up for the onerous challenges ahead. If the management of AIT has contravened the law of the land, it should be taken to court or did I hear you suggest “special military tribunal”?
The GMD during his electioneering campaign had declared that his fight against corruption will be limited to the period when he will be in power. I had then wondered why Mr. Integrity who is coming to fight corruption has declared amnesty to looters of public treasury in advance. When therefore he said he would probe the Sanusian missing $20b I wondered why the volte-face? Is it a matter of necessity or inconsistency? And why single out NNPC? Is this not a confirmation of the earlier expressed fear of selective justice? The fight against corruption should be total and holistic if we must take him seriously.
Despite the inconsistencies and discrepancies in Sanusi’s allegations, the Federal Government went ahead to hire independent forensic auditors - the PwC - to probe the purported missing funds after which it was discovered that it was $1.48b that was yet to be remitted to Federation account by NNPC. Without doubt, revisiting the probe means the president-elect did not trust the audit report and that may be interpreted to mean witch-hunting in some quarters. Nobody has anything against probe but probes should be done in a way that will erase any suspicion of witch-hunting. If we must do the probe, I suggest it should also be extended to the Sanusi’s CBN that was alleged to have spent unappropriated public funds, the Halliburton scandal, the $16b power sector fraud uncovered by the Godwin Elumelu House of Representatives committee and other known fraud cases in the past. Probe or public enquiry may be an acclaimed method of fact finding in public sphere globally but not so in Nigeria where probe is a perfunctory exercise to fulfill all righteousness; a means to distract the public from the government inefficiencies. I foresee the incoming administration fritter away time doing fruitless half-hearted probe after which it will ask Nigerians for re-election claiming that four years is too short for them to clear the “mess” they met.
When Buhari said all his appointees will declare their assets people applauded as expected but to me that is of no effect. Declaring asset is a statutory requirement that has never curbed or stopped corruption. Those who steal and loot public funds do so and launder their loot using pseudo names.
What Nigeria truly needs is an agency that is empowered to recover national assets stolen and hidden by many individuals. Nigeria needs National Asset Recovery Commission (NARC). Everybody acknowledges that corruption is endemic in Nigeria with over 70% of national assets illegally appropriated in private hands. Most of our commonwealth are illegally domiciled in private hands: stashed away in banks, onshore and offshore, in real estate and sundry other forms. We need to recover them to stem the tide of further looting. Any property that is not properly accounted for should be forfeited to FGN for BPE to manage. The proposed NARC will complement the efforts of the police and other anti-graft agencies. If the EFCC which focuses on financial crimes and the ICPC that deal with official misconduct rely on petitions and referrals, the NARC should be concerned with asset identification, verification, classification and documentation and after which it will refer to other agencies for prosecution. The NARC commission should be empowered by law to verify every asset in this country both public and private including humongous bank accounts after which any one that is acquired in suspicious circumstances will be referred to the appropriate agency for prosecution. Our monies and common wealth illegally acquired should be recovered and the culprit properly sanctioned.
Indeed I earnestly wish our president- elect thread softly. We have already seen the signs of intolerance, vindictiveness and selective justice. Is it a case of the leopard’s inability to change its spots? Did I hear you say it is too early to appraise a government that has not even taken off as my good friend Doki had admonished? Remember our dear Professor Chinua Achebe told us that: “a chick that will grow into a cock will be spotted the very first time it is hatched.” I am indeed sorry if I am cynical but I have tried not to be for I am genuinely eager for the much awaited chanji.