The success story of President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to the United States of America may take quite some months or even years to unfold. Although Femi Adesina, the president’s spokesman, has already described the visit as “a roaring success,” it remains to be seen.
One of the high points of the president’s visit was his interaction with Nigerians in the Diaspora at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington DC. It was during this meeting that he confirmed that he will probe the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.
He stated point blank that some ministers and others who served in that administration were responsible for oil theft and that plans to have them prosecuted were in high gear as he had already started receiving documents which clearly showed that these ministers are thieves.
Tough situations demand tough actions. I do not believe Buhari simply wanted to impress his hosts by talking the way he did. Something tells me he means business. Something tells me also that he is in a hurry to prove the tough guy impression the world has about him.
The president revealed that these government officials who allegedly engaged in stealing Nigeria’s oil have also opened as many as five or more foreign accounts for the purpose of laundering funds acquired from the illegal acts.
He said: “Some former ministers were selling about one million barrels per day. I assure you that we will trace and repatriate such money and use the documents to prosecute them. A lot of damage has been done to the integrity of Nigeria with individuals and institutions already compromised.
“We are now looking for evidences of shipping some of our crude, their destinations and where and which accounts they were paid and in which country. When we get as much as we can get as soon as possible, we will approach those countries to freeze those accounts and go to court, prosecute those people and let the accounts be taken to Nigeria.
“The amount of money is mind-boggling; but we have started getting documents. We have started getting document where some of the senior people in government, former ministers, some of them operated as much as five accounts and were moving about one million barrels per day on their own. We have started getting those documents.
“I assure you that whichever documents we are able to get and subsequently trace the sale of the crude and transfer of money from ministries, departments, and Central Bank, we will ask for the cooperation of those countries to return those monies to the Federation Account.”
Nigerians will surely support Buhari in his effort to recover funds stolen by public office holders. It is in the interest of the country to do so. No one holding a public office should be encouraged to steal tax payers’ money and get away with it.
Something occurred to me when I watched the repeated broadcast of the president’s speech. He said little or nothing about state governors who may have also stolen public funds or engaged in acts inimical to the economy of the country. His focus was purely on federal government officials.
On the president’s entourage to the United States were state governors, both serving and former; all of them chieftains of the APC.
During one of the sessions, I recall the president saying that those found to have stolen public funds or engaged in anti-economic activities, whether they were members of his political party or not, would not be spared. That was consoling; in theory.
My concern is that the president has decided to limit his search for stolen public funds or proceeds of illegal oil sale, to the Jonathan administration only. What about the administrations of Olusegun Obasanjo and the late Umaru Yar’Adua?
Is it possible that under the previous two administrations, no government official stole any money from government or engaged in illegal sale of crude oil? If they did, how come the president does not want to investigate them or make efforts to recover such money?
Two scenarios have emerged that could dent the integrity of the president’s attempt to recover looted funds and redeem the nation’s battered image. First is that by limiting the investigation and fund recovery crusade to the Jonathan administration, the president may be (mis)understood to be protecting certain interests.
His decision could be rightly or wrongly interpreted to imply a protection for Obasanjo who was his chief unofficial campaign manager in the just concluded presidential election. It would be difficult for Buhari’s spin-doctors to explain this away.
In addition, by focusing investigation on the presidency alone, the general assumption would be that of covering up former state governors who are his political friends. Some of them are alleged to have contributed enormously to his campaign funds. Right or wrong, I do not know.
When the two scenarios stated above are played out in the public domain, the orchestrated probe of Jonathan’s administration, which is meant for the good of the country, will immediately assume, not just a scandalous political dimension, but will be clothed in witch-hunting apparel.
If Buhari must probe the past and recover looted funds, let no aspect of the past be left out; and all levels of government must be involved. If the recovery of our stolen oil money and ending illegal oil bunkering constitute his priority, let’s start from 1999.
That is when the exercise will earn some credibility. Focusing on the last administration alone will create more suspicion than clean the mess. Corruption in Nigeria did not start four years ago.
