Tackling Nigeria’s Corruption: A Paradigm Shift

© Vanguard Nigeria 

Nigeria has a culture of probing corruption, especially after a leadership change. Given the endemic nature of fraudulence in the country pledging to investigate fraud and corruption is always well received. One would have thought that given the country’s long history of corruption in all facets of society there would be more focus on actually stopping and preventing corruption. An archaic bureaucracy, embedded nepotism and cronyism, and a laughable law enforcement framework make corruption almost inevitable. The system needs to change and the people need to understand the value and benefit of that change. The change needs to come in the form of a new framework of accountability that will underpin every aspect of Nigerian professional life.

There has been a lot of angst surrounding Nigeria’s predilection for tone deafness and regressive behaviour. The description ‘failing nation’ is probably an understatement of the nature of the country’s catastrophic and continuing decline. The almost total absence of effective and purposeful governing and governance in the country is shameful. However, as momentous as that is Nigeria is not alone globally in enduring trial by poor leadership. This does not excuse the country but it makes it less of a focus for me at this time. I am more concerned about weak political nucleus of the country, and the total lack of an economic, social and developmental plan for the future. No matter who gets into power there is no evidence anywhere of any political aspiration beyond just being able to exploit being in power. 

A first consideration would be to review all public and political officer salary structures. This would include a review of legislators wages and expenses. Salaries should be indexed to cost of living and competency standards. Any benefits should be based on basic housing, transport and subsistence allowances. Anything above that should be claimed for and subject to approval and authorisation by a transparent and audited process.  

All public sector commissioning and contracting should be subject to a new standards and accountability framework. There should be fit person and fit organisation standards that ensure that all prospective providers are evaluated for probity and capacity. There should be a two year audit cycle for contracts that ensures that they are performing at the required level and on target to deliver contracted outcomes. 

The oil, finance, telecommunications and private education sectors should be subject to a special interim taxation or levy to raise funds to finance a new programme of public investment in health, education, transportation and agriculture. Public consultation should be undertaken to identify and agree the areas for investment. A public commission should be appointed to administer the process and its operation should be open and report publicly quarterly. All its records should be publicly available for information and scrutiny. 

Instead of continually probing corruption Nigeria needs to reduce the opportunities within the system to defraud public finances; and increase the potential for most citizens to earn a living wage and enjoy a better quality of life. Looking for corruption in a corrupt system is just folly. Just probing corruption and punishing the guilty does nothing to address the causes of corruption. Also, it doesn’t highlight any real lessons to be learnt. The culture and systems that foster corruption need to change. Improving living conditions across the country, and reforming public management systems would be significant steps in the right direction. 

Leadership in the 21st Century: A Monty Pythonesque Farce

It is interesting that as science is breaking new ground and taking technology and innovation to new heights social development has not just taken a backward step but is sliding rapidly downhill. This world was built on the vision of great thinkers and passion borne out of selfless integrity. Now we're keeping up with the Kardashians and striving to be pseudo apprentices with a spotlight blinding us in some sort of lions den.

In modern times leaders in various fields have proven to be extremely prone to promoting self interest as cautious action driven by the common good. Most notions of duty have been supplanted by the desire to achieve longevity and dominate popular opinion. Notable academics have been discredited for giving questionable evidence as expert witnesses. We have had cases of researchers being paid off by pharmaceutical companies to publish biased studies. Journalists are openly partisan, serving paymasters, falsifying news, plagiarising and even setting honey traps. Various longstanding and reputable businesses in the U.K. have closed down thanks to asset stripping by rapacious owners.

Rulers from Saudi Arabia and the UAE have stood by while refugees from Syria have been subjected to indignities seeking shelter in Europe. In fact, the Saudi regime has been mostly occupied with bombing random civilian targets in Yemen. African presidents have individually and collectively found leadership inspiration by looking back to eras of plundering and pillaging. They have rendered their countries broke and peoples destitute and broken. Russia is busy starting and supporting conflicts wherever it can as a cover for arms trading and diplomatic grandstanding.

Obama has proven a calming influence in the American White House but he has shown a lack of leadership in dealing with the economy, race relations and policing of minorities. When Obama stood by quietly and let GW Bush detail an economic bailout plan that favoured corporate America he demonstrated what was to be an ongoing reticence in dealing directly with working class poverty in America. Two of the candidates who will be contesting the American presidential elections this year have significant questions over their integrity and suitability.

In the U.K. the Conservative party has lost one prime minister thanks to David Cameron's reluctance to take a stand against eurosceptics in the party. Theresa May, the current prime minister failed to deliver on a promise to curb immigration when she Home Affairs minister. She is now playing politics with the handling of the U.K.'s exit from the European Union. The economy is suffering as a result. The Labour Party has been plagued with a series of ineffective leaders following Tony Blair's resignation as prime minister. The party is currently at war with its present leader and itself, to all intents and purposes. It has been no help that the current leader of the Labour Party has proven somewhat ineffectual and divisive.

Africa is rife with instances of ineffective and corrupt leaders. Many leaders in the continent are obsessed with not leaving the seat of power rather than actually leaving a positive legacy. In Africa a lot of business leaders have achieved success through fraud and the corruption of public institutions and officials. The 'Arab Spring' was supposed to bring revolution to North Africa but has only succeeded in miring the region in extremism and instability. Mugabe has succeeded in holding on to power while completely wrecking the economic and social life of Zimbabwe. The ANC in South Africa has managed to take its people out of apartheid into poverty.

It appears that leadership is one area in which humanity has managed to regress. Opportunism and profit appear to be the defining characteristics of leadership in modern times. It appears the qualifications needed for leadership now are wealth and influence. Needless to say this makes for leaders who are essentially unprincipled and easily swayed. It also spells trouble for those hoping that the privileged few might protect the needy many.