Civil society organisations are not known to be friends of governments, due to their critical positions on government policies. But the effort of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to combat corruption has formed a meeting point for the establishment and CLO. Senior Correspondent, ONYEWUCHI OJINNAKA, reports.
Even before Muhammadu Buhari, a retired General, won election on March 28, 2015 to become the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, many people had known his stance on corruption. In fact, many voters deferred to him for that. He demonstrated his zero-tolerance attitude to the hydra-headed monster called corruption when he took power on December 31, 1983 – he clamped down on ‘occasions of corruption’ and its agents as well as the perpetrators which include mainly politicians. But before he could achieve the sanity he planned for Nigeria, he was toppled. Even then, he submitted himself for probe, and could not be linked with sleaze of any hue.
Now he is back, and the fight he could not complete some 30 years ago still stared him in the face. And he would not retreat. His first port of call is the administration of his predecessor: those who served in that government are feeling the heat, as the retired General has vowed to recover all stolen funds from the federal coffers.
Strange romance
And for this, Buhari has earned the admiration of a human rights group, Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), which said it is keenly following the renewed crackdown on politicians who are alleged to have either defrauded the country or have information about the shameless plundering of the country by public office holders and their cronies.
In a statement jointly signed by its president, Igho Akeregha, and executive director, Ibuchukwu Ezike, the organisation commended the recent invitation by the anti-graft agencies and security organisations and on-going trial of certain players in government by the courts since the assumption of office by President Buhari. It welcomed the development, but said it will not condone any abuse of the rule of law and human rights in the exercise.
Economy looters
The non-governmental organisation noted that in the last 16 years, politicians across the country and political divides have wilfully looted both the national and state treasuries which has led to non-payment of workers’ salaries for months and, in some cases, years.
It observed that the so-called democracy dividends being touted by politicians are more visible in the media than in reality, decrying that politicians are thus replaying the ugly experiences of the dark days of military dictatorship when Nigeria was mercilessly murdered, looted and run like a private estate.
“By these dastardly acts, they have shown that they have learnt nothing from what happened to them in the past when the military took over in 1983. Funds meant for providing democracy dividends for the citizens and for building and sustaining strong institutions have been diverted by politicians and their allies to private pockets to serve primitive and unpopular interests,” CLO expressed.
It made reference to the recent alleged reports by Cable News Network (CNN) on how both past and serving politicians, some of who claimed to be saints, plundered the country, saying that these are indicative of the facts that “our politicians are wicked, shameless and have learnt no lessons”.
“The worst and most worrisome aspect of this notorious act is that these looted monies are invested in faraway societies to improve, develop and promote their economies at the expense of our own society and people who die in abject penury, neglect, hunger and joblessness, in a society that has been lavishly blessed by God,” the organisation stressed.
CLO maintained that Nigeria is one of the richest nations of the world in all ramifications, but has the hungriest and poorest citizens – caused by the wickedness of the nation’s thieving rulers, politicians and military alike.
The organisation urged President Buhari to extend his campaign against corruption and hunt for the thieves in power to the states and local governments where money meant for development, provision of social amenities and industries that would give jobs to our youths have been cornered by the dubious politicians to serve their parochial interests.
No limitation
However, CLO advised that the arrest, detention and trial of the suspects connected, thereto, be extended to all those who have hands in the plundering of the country, including military rulers, who, according to alleged reports on them, looted the nation’s treasuries in strong foreign currencies. It argued that the arrests should not be limited to the politicians or Jonathan’s government alone, pointing out that it is necessary and must be done to dissuade the minds of both the local and international communities from seeing the crusade against corruption and executive lawlessness in Nigeria as one motivated by hatred for anybody or group or a source of witch-hunt or selective punishment as some Nigerians are beginning to assume. This, if not done, may rubbish the good intention of the campaign and may take Nigeria back to the starting point.
Besides, it also demands that these arrests, detentions and trials be conducted in line with the laws of our land, and continental and international instruments to which Nigeria is a signatory, to avoid indiscriminate violation of human rights and due process.
According to CLO, corruption is not only limited to stealing of money, but extends to abuse of due process and the rule of law, diversion of projects or genuine shares meant for certain areas or people to others because of access to power, arbitrary appointments that negate the principles of Federal Character and questionable creation of states and local governments in manners that violate social justice, equity and national interest.
According to the rights organisation, these issues dominated the debate at the 2014 National Conference convened by the Jonathan administration in which CLO actively participated. The angers, crises and cries in the land, today, have a lot to do with these injustices that are perpetrated on our people and different ethnic nations that make up Nigeria. It is our view that no peace and progress can be recorded in a society ruled by injustice, abuse of power or impunity, disobedience to the rule of law and due process and gross infractions on the rights of the citizens, positing that all are indices of corruption.
CSOs, media enlisted
CLO enjoins Nigerians, especially civil society organisations (CSOs) and the media, to calm down but watch to ensure that those who raped the country and brought avoidable shame on her and her citizens before the comity of nations be made to pay back all they had stolen.
“We make bold to say that respect for human rights does not only relate to the man or woman who is being asked to explain how he or she ran his or her society, but also to others who they (the suspects) might have violated their rights while they occupied those positions and offices because one’s rights stop exactly where the rights of the other begin.
“Some of our rulers have acted in wicked manners which culminated in the death and suffering of our citizens, including workers who have not been paid for years and whose children have been withdrawn from school, among others. Those who perpetrate or perpetrated these heinous and heartless acts deserve neither pity nor mercy. Our position is that the souls that sin shall die in accordance with our laws,” it stressed.
Economic saboteurs
Of importance to note too is that as the fight against corruption is pursued with vigour, so also is the war against economic sabotage by some business people.
These business men and women have been lawlessly favoured in such a manner that the federal government even waived payment of import duties for them without their assistance to the national economic growth. The same monstrous cabal created by the government has criminally and inhumanly created monopolies for some certain essential commodities and denied the younger companies the opportunity to participate in such businesses, thereby frustrating them out of business while they (the cabal) continue to dominate the business areas.
CLO cited Dangote Group as a good example of the beneficiaries of this sabotage, stating that the negative result of such senseless act of the previous governments is the high prices of such commodities like cement and other commodities above the reach of the common man. “This makes it impossible for poor Nigerians to build small houses in our country today, while the thieving rich build skyscrapers inhabited by rodents and lizards everywhere.”
To address the anomaly, the CLO has therefore tasked the present government to revisit the malady, with the genuine intention to remedy the ugly and negative situation and relieve the ordinary Nigerian of this man-made burden.