Tackling corruption through Hisbah

Also published in Daily Trust

It is high time Nigerian intellectuals began to think outside the box to develop alternative yet viable and implementable ideas to tackle the endemic corruption bedevilling the country. This is quite imperative considering the fact that the current system, which is ostensibly designed to ensure transparency, is grossly abused by most of the very people entrusted with the mandate to run it. It is indeed a desperate situation that requires unconventional measures to handle.

Also even if the introduction of such urgently needed alternative measures requires some legal bases at state level or even constitutional amendments at the federal level, anti-corruption campaigners and other activists should embark on a systematic campaign to raise public awareness about the necessity of such measures, and mobilize popular support massive enough to successfully push for the introduction of the necessary statutory provisions and implementation mechanisms for such measures at national, state and local government levels.

This would enable and encourage Nigerian intellectuals and thinkers to develop and propose appropriate ideas within the frameworks of their respective states' socio-cultural and religious values, and generate alternative and effective methods to curb corruption in government administration, and indeed push for its adoption by their respective state and/or local governments.

In some states where Shari’a is adopted, for instance, Hisbah represents a potentially effective ready-made system through which corruption in government administration could be substantially reduced. Incidentally, though the term Hisbah means volunteering to work for the promotion of moral virtues and prevention of vices, its relevance and applicability transcend these limits. In other words, it covers all aspects of life including government administration.

For instance, the voluntary vigilante activities of the “civilian JTF” against Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State fall exactly within the wider concept of Hisbah, hence they stand a good chance of earning generous reward from Allah, the Almighty, provided they maintain Al-Ikhlas, regardless of the monetary allowances they perhaps earn.

Equally, if appropriately mandated and properly organized, Hisbah commissions in some states like Kano, where it is relatively more active, can supervise and run coordinated voluntary works that can considerably reduce corruption in government.

It is however important to note that, volunteering to fight corruption in government is entirely different from volunteering to enforce public morality. For instance, volunteering to fight corruption in government necessarily requires the involvement of trustworthy volunteers from different professional backgrounds, who would volunteer to render selfless services to keep a close watch on governance in all sectors, expose corrupt practices, facilitate the prosecution of the perpetrators and most importantly recover the loots.

Fortunately enough, despite the diminishing culture of piety and morality in the society, there are still some honest people out there and from all social strata, with different academic and professional affiliations, who can willingly commit a great deal of their times and resources, if given the chance, to voluntarily render such voluntary services.

After all, the fact that some people could form what is known as “civilian JTF” and expose themselves to extreme dangers in order to assist the security forces on the ground in their war against Boko Haram terrorists means there are some others who can voluntarily render professional services to fight corruption in the society. This is because the threat of terrorism is no less serious than the impact of endemic and monumental corruption in the society. As a matter of fact the latter is largely responsible for the emergence of the former.

Anyway, journalists among such professional volunteers, for instance, can take advantage of the Freedom of Information Act to request for the records of public projects to enable experts in government administration among such volunteers determine whether due process was actually followed in the process of awarding the contracts or not. In the meantime, quantity survivors, valuators and other relevant consultants among them can determine the quality, reasonable costs of the projects and indeed the real value it is expected to add.

Meanwhile, volunteer accountants and auditors among them can, through such records and documents, determine whether payment terms and schedules actually comply with due process or not. This also includes probes to determine whether there is/was any kickbacks or any form of corrupt practices in the process or not.

Also, even if such records are denied or tampered with, lawyers among such volunteers can institute legal action in court, and follow it through diligently until the court compels the ministry, directorate or department in question to release the required records intact.

I am sure volunteering to fight corruption this way will definitely improve public confidence in traditional Hisbah volunteers, who many people accuse of hypocrisy by allegedly turning a blind eye on the excesses of the elite in the society while unnecessarily harassing the common people. Besides, the improved public confidence would reflect positively on the level of public cooperation the traditional Hisbah volunteers need to enable them discharge their traditional responsibilities of enforcing public morality.