Ending or minimising corruption in Nigeria

Corruption is universal; it cannot be ended, but it can be minimised with deliberate policies and actions. Corruption is blind to sex, religion, tribe, education level, age and/or colour.

Below are some takeaways (Conclusion and Recommendations) from the paper I wrote on corruption years ago titled, “Anatomy of Corruption and the Correlation between Greed, Corruption and Underdevelopment – Examples from Nigerian Politicians – 2021″.

I could go on and on, and the story is the same running through the ages (past and present but hopefully not the future) for most Nigerian politicians.

From the examples listed, a pattern with the following characteristics has been established:

C1. Every thought, action and/or decision of the greedy person is geared towards fostering selfish personal interests which are always in opposition to the general, public or national interest.

C2. The greedy, fraudulent and corrupt will not change his ways voluntarily. He continues to be greedier and more corrupt until he is checkmated. Anyone hoping the greedy and corrupt will change their ways and put the populace and nation first has their hope hinged on the impossible.

C3. The best solution is to isolate and insulate the greedy and corrupt from any position of public trust so that they do not consume the resources of the people and keep them in perpetual servitude and underdevelopment.

C4. Greed is a character trait that cannot be legislated against. However, vile and corrupt acts emanating from the greedy must be adequately punished to serve as a deterrent and a rejection of evil. The evil of greed and corruption must not be allowed to trump good governance if we want to grow and develop.

There are six areas for strategic consideration in designing solutions, and these are:

D1. Economic – Implement economic stimuli to reduce malfeasance and expose corrupt acts.

D2. Educational – Educate the people to change values and attitudes through training and retraining.

D3. Organisational – Improve organisational/institutional efficiency through ordered processes and audits.

D4. Cultural – Need for a complete change of values, like recognising hard work rather than giving titles for unexplained wealth.

D5. Political – Funding and financing clean politicians without making them dependent on corrupt sponsors.

D6. Judicial – Adequate and deterrent punishment to the corrupt without exemption.

Prevention, detection and punishment should be the key goals of our corruption reduction strategy. Add continuous monitoring and reporting to ensure we are on track. Strategies may need to be modified to capture and deal with changing situations and circumstances, thus calling for dynamic rather than static strategies.

The following factors should also be given adequate consideration while developing strategies for reducing corruption. These are:

Complexity, context, continuous adjustment, effectiveness of legal framework, organisational/institutional effectiveness, human resources, information and communications technology and citizen engagement or stakeholder participation.

Unpunished fraud, corruption, bribery and such other unethical acts lead to more fraud, corruption, bribery and so on. That is why it is essential to

1. Isolate and keep the greedy and corrupt far from governance.

2. Set in place preventive measures to plug loopholes and avenues for corruption through a system of checks and balances.

3. Insulate government and governance from the greedy and corrupt.

4. Ensure adequate punishment for all acts of corruption to serve as a deterrent for others.

Specific details on handling the corruption are also provided in my paper titled “Framework for Nigeria’s Rebirth and Transformation – Pathway to Growth and Development” (2023-2024). Some highlights are listed below:

VISIONEERING – The ability to envisage the Future with imagination and wisdom;

SOLUTIONEERING – The art of proffering solutions to problems or issues to achieve desired goals;

E.L.A.S.W.O.G – Exemplary leadership and service without greed;

R.I.I.P – Recoveries, Isolation, Insulation, Punishment.

– Recover all stolen assets and funds from the corrupt and their associates – isolate the corrupt from governance, they cannot and must not hold any government positions for life.

– Insulate the government from the corrupt through automatic and permanent bans for life.

– Punish all corrupt people for their offense and ensure they are used as a deterrent to others.

o K.E.P.C – Key Eligibility and Performance Criteria

Corruption needs to be minimised; otherwise, Nigeria cannot grow and develop.

Enforce the R.I.I.P. procedures for combating corruption frontally.

Recover all loot and assets not properly acquired from the corrupt and their associates.

Insulate and isolate looters and beneficiary family members and associates from governance and government through the imposition of automatic bans.

Punish all culprits (without exception) in accordance with the laws of the land and the R.I.I.P. procedures.

Deploy appropriate software and technologies like “Exposee” in conjunction with N.I.N., B.V.N. and P.V.C. to track assets of citizens and help identify corrupt practices. Any assets acquired illegally qualify for automatic forfeiture, a ban on and punishment of culprits.

Limit the use of technicalities in law to delay and/or frustrate the administration of justice.

Reward honest people with additional benefits like promotions, recognitions, etc.

Henceforth, all persons who are desirous of running for political office must declare assets publicly before assumption of office and immediately after leaving office (within six months).

Public servants and all those in government service must similarly declare their assets every five years.

Assets not declared qualify for automatic forfeiture.

Suggested minimum jail times for corrupt practices

Grant government anti-corruption entities like EFCC and ICPC powers to investigate and enquire into the assets and sources of funds of Politically Exposed Persons (P.E.P.s), public servants and corporate entities.

Limit gifts to any individual to a maximum of $500.00 or equivalent in naira. Givers and receivers of bribes are to serve prison terms as suggested below in addition to forfeiting the assets or sum involved to the Federal Government.

$500,001 to $,2,500,000 12 years

$2,500,001 to $10,000,000 15 years

$10,000,001 to $50,000,000 19 years

$50,000,001 to $200,000,000 25 years

$200,000,001 to $500,000,000 32 years

$500,000,001 to $1,000,000,000 40 years

$1,000,000,001 to $10,000,000,000 50 years

>$10,000,000,000 60 years to life

❖ No Judge is allowed to sentence convicts to jail terms below these minimum limits.