Buhari’s Anti-corruption War Lacks Potency, Political Will, Says FENRAD 

Emmanuel Ugwu-Nwogo in Umuahia

After over seven years of fighting corruption, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has failed to make appeciable impact in cleaning up the rot in the Nigerian system, a pro-democracy and environmental advocacy group has said.

The Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development (FENRAD) said that the anti-corruption war was not making the expected impact due to absence of potency and political will.

The group came up with this verdict following its survey of the nation’s anti-corruption trajectory since 1999 with special focus on the last seven years which the Buhari government said it has been fighting corruption.

In a statement issued by the executive director of FENRAD, Mr. Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, to mark this year’s Anti-corruption Day (IACD), which was read by Benedict Anaebo at a press conference in Umuahia weekend, the group said that Nigeria still has a long way to go in winning the anti-graft war.

“It is alarming that Nigeria does not rank among countries with low incidences of corruption yet,” he said, citing  the Transparency International (TI) 2022 corruption perception index (CPI) report which ranked Nigeria 154 out of 180 countries.

According to the advocacy group, rather than abetting, corruption has continued to spread, mutate and manifest in various dimensions despite the anti-corruption war of the Buhari government. 

The anti-graft war is being waged by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Relatrd Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

“Under this administration, issues of corruption like oil theft, subsidy scam, vote buying, budget padding, trading in influence and sundry corrupt practices bedevil Nigeria and Nigerians. 

“Both public sector and private sector corruption increased in an unheard of scale in the last seven years,” the group said, adding that corrupt officials now use ridiculous tactics not only to cover their tracks but also to evade justice.

“Animals like rodents, reptiles and primates were reported to have swallowed monies conveniently stashed in official vaults,” FENRAD said, adding that: “Perceived corrupt officials being questioned by lawmakers slump, are rushed to hospitals and cases closed or are discontinued.” 

It also noted that Buhari has not helped matter following his granting of pardon to “convicted former governors, even extending such clemency to terrorists”.

FENRAD stated that the Buhari government appears overwhelmed by the corruption monster hence it has invented excuses, telling Nigerians that “corruption is fighting back”.

The advocacy group also faulted the federal government for blaming state governments for the rising poverty level in the country, affecting over 70 per cent of Nigerians, saying that both tiers of governments share responsibility for the corrupt practices driving Nigerians to poverty.

As a way out of the pervasive corruption in the land, FENRAD called on state and non state actors “to exhibit a great deal of will power to steer the nation away from corruption”.

“The weak justice system must be strengthened, laws must be created and where inadequate elaborated to strengthen weak institutions.

“Appointments to sensitive positions should be based on merit, not on tribe, religion, which has characterised appointments in the last seven years,” the advocacy group said.