The Colours Of Political Corruption (II)

Cont’d from last Wednesday

The First Republic (1960-1966) produced some politicians who corruptly enriched themselves. They indulged in flamboyant life style and lived in big and good houses. This must have been a spill over from colonisation. Indeed, their involvement in the agenda of colonial rule may have also affected their idealism.

For example, government’s property such as cars, houses, farms, installations, to mention but a few were seen as not “our” property. Thus, vandalism and looting of pubic property was not seen as a crime against humanity. This paved the way for lack of public trust and concern for public goods as a collective national property. Right from independence, most Nigerian politicians took part in politics to get their share of the “national cake”.

The First Republic was also noted for corrupt tendencies as some government functionaries looted public funds with impunity. The then Federal Representative and Minister of Aviation, Kingsley O. Mbadiwe was said to have built a magnificent mansion and displayed much affluent. When he was asked the source of his wealth for such an edifice, he retorted, “From sources known and unknown.”

Also, another prominent First Republic politician, Chief Festus S. Okotie-Eboh, who was the Minister of Finance, responded to charges of political corruption leveled against him by quoting from the Bible as cited in the British Banks report of 1985, “to those that have, more shall be given. From those that do not have, shall be taken even little they have”.

It was indeed official corruption that prompted the first coup de tat that terminated the First Republic on 16th January, 1966. Late Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu who led the coup vehemently condemned the First Republic politicians and dubbed them “ten percenters”,  for demanding ten percent of the value of contracts they awarded.

The Major General J.T.U. Aguiyi-Ironsi’s government was too short to be tainted with corruption on a large scale.

The civil war (1967-1970) and the oil boom era of  General Yakubu Gowon administration (July 1966-July 1975) repositioned political corruption in Nigeria. It is an obvious fact that up till this moment, Nigeria contributes about 10% of Shell’s global production and is home to some of its most promising reserves, yet the country is steeped in poverty and conflict.

Former Minister of Petroleum, Professor Tam David-West argued persuasively that “in Nigeria, oil does not fuel corruption; rather, corruption has been a phenomenon that oil was only used in promoting.”

Gowon’s era, in stating the obvious, was the period of “boom” for soldiers and their surrogates who masqueraded as contractors.

The Murtala/Obasanjo administration which opened the cans of corruption that Gowon’s government left, set up a tribunal in 1975 which unearthed sordid revelations about how government officials falsified ship manifest and  inflated the amount of cement to be purchased. In fact, ten of Gowon’s twelve State governors were indicted for corrupt practices and self aggrandizement by the Murtala-Obasanjo administration.

Although the Murtala-Obasanjo’s government (1975-1979) came on board to right the wrongs, it was not  free from corruption as certain individuals were believed to have been enriched through money paid for contracts that were only partly executed or not executed at all.  For example, the key players in that regime used their offices to make fortunes

With the handing over of the political baton to the civilian on 1st October, 1979 to the Second Republic, another round of the political termites and the liberalisation of corruption began. The Shehu Shagari led government was the most guilty. There was the inordinate ambition of the stalwarts of the ruling National Party of Nigeria, (NPN) to outsmart one another in the amount of money stashed away in overseas banks.

For example, an NPN chieftain and former Minister of Transport, Alhaji Umaru Dikko fled abroad with the loot siphoned from the country. The rice shortage in the country in 1981 gave more impetus to corruption as officials of the government were accused of favouritism. What is more, members of the National Assembly were neck-deep in corruption.

The Major General Muhammadu Buhari’s government (1983-1985) that cut short the Second Republic, is more remembered in our political history for its tyranny and high-handedness than for honest fight against corruption. Nevertheless, cross sections of political gladiators were convicted of different corrupt practices.

What the military has ever bequeathed to the nation’s history of corruption was General Ibrahim Babangida’s government. The regime (1985-1993) actually legalised corruption and elevated it to an instrument of state policy. It instituted “settlement culture” in the body polity of Nigeria.

The climax of corruption and robbery during the Babangida era was seen in the looting of the nation’s windfall from oil Gulf-crises.  The windfall was estimated at about $12 billion. The regime also silenced journalists who were poised to reveal the truth about political corruption in Nigeria. The office of the First Lady was created and given recognition as a conduit pipe to siphon Nigeria’s oil money.

Samuel is of the History and Diplomatic Studies Department, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt

N-Ue Uebari Samuel