Anti-corruption And Those Figures

PREMIUM TIMES

The anti-corruption war by the Muhammadu Buhari administration is throwing up many latter-day saints who indulge in making claims about how much was stolen and by whom.

The latest in this game of mind- blowing claims involves a senator of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Shehu Sani, who disclosed, recently, that over $200 billion is stashed away in Dubai, the United Arab Emirate by corrupt Nigerians.

According to him, the money was used to acquire real estates, purchase exotic houses and other investments in business partnerships in the last 16 years by politicians using family members and other cronies.

For him, these corrupt politicians, including APC members who were in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), may have soiled their hands while in that former ruling party.

What Senator Sani is saying is that only PDP politicians are corrupt. That APC politicians who acquired any stain of corruption must have done so while in PDP. His argument also implies that APC members, simply by belonging to that party, are incorruptible. That, in our opinion, is a weird remark to make because it cannot possibly be true. As is easily discernible, corruption cuts across all the strata of government and not just at the federal level.

To start with, how did the distinguished senator arrive at the figure of $200 billion? Since he claims that those who own those investments are PDP members and APC members who cross- carpeted from PDP, why is he hedging in substantiating his allegation by mentioning names? Because he spoke like one with unassailable facts.

Furthermore, we think that Senator Sani, if he is not to be dismissed as a publicity seeking rabble-rouser, should do the security agencies some favour and pass that information onto them because they will certainly need it in their investigation and possible prosecution of the cases.

The war on corruption, in our view, is not one to be reduced to a child’s play by the grandstanding propensities and loquacious tendencies of otherwise important public office holders who take delight in hearing their own voices.

As far as corruption is concerned, in Nigeria today, all have sinned and have surely fallen short of the glory of God. No amount of sanctimonious preachment can remove that fact. So, Shehu Sani is expected to be part of the campaign. Unguarded statements, even by a senator, is a distraction and unhelpful at this time. Nigerians in general and the security agencies in particular, need incontrovertible evidence against suspects and not political posturing just to be heard.

We also feel worried that in this fight against corruption, an impression is being created that it is all about demonising politicians and the political class. That, in our opinion, will not only be unfortunate but a deliberate effort to deny Nigerians the truth about what actually went wrong in the governance structure. The politicians who are now, deservedly, being exposed to all manner of scurrilous attacks did not operate in a vacuum. They have their accomplices in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). The civil servants must have things to tell the listening public.

It is not unlikely that they may be the ones trying to obfuscate the cleansing process by feeding lawmakers and the media with figures that, on the face value, add very little that is important to the ongoing drive to sanitise the system.