Corruption has its own motivations, and one has to thoroughly study that phenomenon and eliminate the foundations that allow corruption to exist. But eradicating corruption is not enough to sustain a country.

~Eduard Shevardnadze

Anti-corruption was one of the cardinal points of Buhari’s campaign agenda. He was very clear about his desire to stamp out corruption in Nigeria. At different times, he reiterated that “If Nigeria doesn’t kill corruption, Corruption will kill Nigeria”. The PDP capitalized on this and campaigned that Buhari was coming back to put people(opponents) in prisons reminisce of his heydays as a military dictator, that Nigeria should not vote for him. However, at dawn on 1st April, 2015, when the final results of the presidential elections were collated, Buhari was announced president-elect.

He rode to victory on the APC change mantra and his anti-corruption “antecedents”. So I am not surprised that Buhari has mentioned corruption and probe uncountable times since assuming office. He has told us he knows banks where proceeds of corruption were hidden, we have been told that the presidency now has list of Nigerians who took part or benefited from corruption. We have heard rumours of former corrupt government officials returning their loots.

The president has told anyone who cared to listen that all looted funds must be recovered. Good News! But I believe in more action, less talk. I detest media prosecution because they are usually diversionary and reeks of jungle justice. Emotions, propaganda and media prosecution are never enough to convict any person alleged to have been involved in corrupt practices. “Prove beyond reasonable doubt” still takes preeminence over any public perception caused by media prosecution especially in a democracy.

I was therefore elated when Femi Adesina (Presidential Spokesman) released a statement announcing that trial of those who stole national resources will commence in a few weeks. According to the statement, the president said that: “Those who have stolen the national wealth will be in court in a matter of weeks and Nigerians will know those who have short-changed them.” With this statement, I believe those who have been throwing unverified figures without facts around will stop as we await the real prosecution of looters in court.

The national wealth belongs to everybody and to nobody. It is criminal for a very small percentage of “everybody” to loot our collective wealth. They must be brought to justice. A presidential advisory committee against corruption has also been set up to advise the govt on the best ways to tackle the cankerworm that has
eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society. Interestingly, the two major political parties, APC and PDP welcomed the idea of probe but the opposition warned the president not to shield those in his camp from prosecution. The president replied that his anti-corruption crusade transcends personal, religious, ethnic and political lines, that anybody found culpable will face justice.

However, there has been divergent views over the Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign and probe of the immediate past administration. Some believe it is an unnecessary distraction, that he should concentrate on the business of governance. Others want him to also probe other administrations and not concentrate on Jonathan alone. Others believe the probe is just witch-hunting. The reasons for these views are not far fetched. In saner climes, you are innocent until proven guilty but in Nigeria, you are guilty until proven innocent.

Many people have started labelling top figures in the last administration as thieves/corrupt even when a proper probe is yet to be carried out. More often than not, these tags remain after such persons may have been cleared of any wrongdoing hence many dread the idea of a probe. However, the probe is a welcome development, Jonathan’s decision not to probe Obasanjo’s administration is not a yardstick to stop Buhari from probing Jonathan’s administration. It is his prerogative so far it is carried out within the purview of the constitution, obedience to the rule of law and tenets of equity and justice. Let the probe begin and let us see how it will end.

For those saying the president should also probe members of his party, probe is not a PDP affair alone but all those in the last government. I like what Yinka Odumakin did on behalf of Osun Stakeholders by petitioning the EFCC on alleged corrupt practices of Osun Governor Rauf Aregbesola and Livingstone Wechie of Integrity group against former Governor of Rivers state Rotimi Amaechi. If you have any case with facts against any of those who are part of the present govt or sponsored the president’s election, forward it to the EFCC. If the EFCC is reluctant or the president wants to interfere, publish these facts for the world to see, after all the president said there will be no sacred cow. Anything short of this will rubbish his anti-corruption posture and campaign.

Finally, the probe rhetoric should not be used as an excuse why the govt has not fully settled down to the business of governance. Punitive measures are necessary to scrutinize and ensure sanity in the polity, but preventive measures of fighting corruption which is geared towards identifying and solving/block the motives/loopholes that aide corruption remain indispensable and less costly. With lawyers who have become experts in exploiting the loopholes in the judiciary in favour of their corrupt clients, the “orgasmic frenzy” generated by the announcement to probe corrupt politicians may just be short-lived as most of the cases may linger for months if not years. So while we are chasing “goats” who scaled our national “yam barns” to lock them up in pens, we should prevent these saintly “goats” who are currently parading the corridors of our barns free access to our yams.

Source: The FCT Post - http://www.fctpost.com/2015/08/14/let-the-probe-begin/

Yes. Start with Fash..Ole and Amaechi