THERE will be no safe haven for corruption in Nigeria. Our government will take deliberate steps to strengthen anti-corruption institutions, enforce accountability, and ensure that justice is served, no matter whose ox is gored.”
Those were President Bola Tinubu’s salient words at a summit organised by the Ministry of Justice in Abuja on May 28, where he pledged to recover Nigeria’s stolen assets. Now, he must match his words with decisive action.
While removing the petrol subsidy and floating the naira as he assumed office on May 29, 2023, did not earn him widespread praise, curbing the orgy of corruption and restoring sanity to governance certainly will.
But how far is Tinubu willing to go? Will he be content with merely recovering looted funds, or will he also ensure that the looters are brought to justice? Is this campaign targeted only at his perceived enemies, or will it truly be impartial, sparing no one? Tinubu must answer these pressing questions.
Among Nigeria’s political elite, the plundering of public assets has become an odious tradition, leaving the country ranked among the six most corrupt globally, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.
Individuals who have never worked outside government circles acquire luxury vehicles, overseas mansions, and million-dollar bank accounts.
Since 1999, when civilians regained power after 16 years of military rule, hopes for democratic values, transparency, and accountability have been dashed by persistent looting of the public treasury.
The late Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, Bayelsa governor from 1999 to 2005, had £3.2 million in cash and four London houses worth £10 million seized after his arrest by the UK police in 2005. The US government also seized $17.7 million in assets. In 2007, Alamieyeseigha pleaded guilty to siphoning Bayelsa’s funds. He was jailed but later pardoned.
James Ibori, his Delta State counterpart, also acquired properties in the UK and bought a private jet. A British court imprisoned him in 2012 after he pleaded guilty to stealing $250 million.
The military set the tone for corruption. One retired general was credited with legalised corruption, while another (now deceased) stashed away so much wealth that his spouse publicly boasted of their limitless riches. Tragically, elected civilians have sought to outdo the military in this regard.
No president has demonstrated sufficient will to combat corruption. Under Goodluck Jonathan, then-CBN governor Sanusi Lamido (now Emir of Kano) was removed after alleging that the NNPC failed to remit $20 billion to the treasury.
Sambo Dasuki, the National Security Adviser at the time, was accused of diverting $2.1 billion meant for arms procurement to fight Boko Haram.
For political expediency, former President Muhammadu Buhari, who had touted anti-corruption credentials, pardoned Joshua Dariye and Jolly Nyame, ex-governors of Plateau and Taraba, who were jailed for stealing a combined N2.76 billion from their states. Buhari claimed that another ex-governor who stole N15 billion had “repented”.
Corruption runs deep in Nigeria. A former Attorney-General of the Federation, an Accountant-General, a former NNPC boss, and even a man tasked with cleaning up the pensions mess have all been caught in the fraud net.
At least 13 former governors and some former ministers are facing EFCC investigations for looting a combined N853.8 billion.
The anti-graft agency is currently investigating the N81.6 billion that was allegedly looted in the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. The suspended Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Beta Edu, has not been prosecuted over fraud allegations for which she was removed in 2023.
In 2003, the police topped the list of corrupt public institutions in Nigeria, with the national and state assemblies placing third, and the national electricity company (formerly NEPA) ranking seventh.
Tinubu says he is committed to fighting corruption and recovering looted assets, but rhetoric alone no longer impresses Nigerians. The President must now prove himself through his actions.
