Cardinal Onaiyekan losses confidence in the anti-corruption agencies

Analysts have identified corruption as the major impediment to Nigeria’s economic growth. This they say explains why the abundant mineral resources and rich arable land of the country have hardly had any positive impact on the lives of the citizenry. In fact, the United Nations ranks Nigerians among the poorest people in the world, estimating that more than 80 per cent of the population live below poverty line. The Federal Government has made efforts at tackling corruption with the establishment of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC). Nevertheless, these are barely a scratch on the problem as they have hardly reduced the trend of corruption in the country.

Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Catholic Archbishop of Abuja has again re-echoed this loss of confidence in the anti-corruption agencies to tackle the spiral corruption in the country. He made this clear to Mr. Nta Ekpo, ICPC chairman at a recent courtesy visit to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.  “I’m sure you are aware that many Nigerians have very little good things to say about the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and there is a lot of cynicism out there. They see these bodies as part of the whole system. They set up a smokescreen that they’re doing something about corruption. I’m sure you’ve heard the same thing too”, the Cardinal told the ICPC, Chairman. He warned that unless something urgent was done to ameliorate the sufferings of Nigerians, things might get out of hand because “you can’t expect to have a peaceful and secure country when the minimum requirement of good behaviour, honesty, integrity, especially in high places are completely neglected.”

Many Nigerians share the view of Cardinal Onaiyekan that the anti corruption agencies have not lived up to expectation. In fact, Professor Ruquayyatu Rufai, Minister for Education had recently warned that corruption has become a full-blown cancer, stressing that the country will not achieve its full potentials unless the trend was rooted out. According to Rufai, the most veritable way of tackling corruption head-on and at all levels in Nigeria, is to educate the masses on national values, path of the truth and the knowledge of the truth. Many analysts argue that corruption is on the rise in the country because the anti corruption agencies have abdicated their responsibilities. A commentator who spoke on condition of anonymity argues that rather than fight corruption, the anti corruption agencies have become instruments of “persecution which the Federal Government uses to keep political opponents in check.”  Others have also argued that the fight against corruption is not yielding the intended result because of some other inherent problems including funding and inadequate personnel.

Debo Adeniran, Executive Chairman Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) agrees with Cardinal Onaiyekan. He however blames the dwindling confidence on the feeling among Nigerians that the anticorruption agencies only charge cases to court but do not secure convictions coupled with the fact that the courts are congested with cases, hence the delays often associated with corruption cases.  According to Adeniran, the anti corruption agencies are also encumbered by logistic inadequacies including poor funding and inadequate manpower, factors he said, the past chairmen of the ICPC and EFCC complained of while in office. He also believes that the way “the Federal Government removes the chairmen with ignominy does not allow their successors function efficiently, knowing that they too would be removed the same way.” On the way forward, Adeniran suggests that the anti corruption agencies be granted more autonomy and funding. He argues that the anti corruption agencies be allowed to prosecute cases without interferences from the Ministry of Justice. He argues that “it is the court that should decide whether there is merit in a case not the Minister of Justice.”