Going abroad to fix local problems

Also published in Daily Trust

In the absence of the culture of independent and thorough investigation into government processes in Nigeria, cases of monumental corruption and alleged involvement of some government officials and their cohorts in treasonable acts usually come into the open only by accident, or when some real or perceived political opponents are deliberately targeted and discriminatorily victimized.

In any case, such scandals often end in bogus investigations; the purported findings of which are dumped in the archive, or some unnecessarily and indeed deliberately extended trials that eventually deliver ridiculous sentences that neither return back the looted resources to the public treasury nor deter others already engaged in similar corrupt practices or even destabilizing activities.

Besides, even after the enactment of the Freedom of Information Act, which was supposedly designed to facilitate transparency by enabling the citizens to ask any government establishment for information about its processes and by compelling the establishment to comply, the largely corrupt bureaucrats who immensely benefit from the status quo have frustrated the few attempts made by a number of media, civil organizations and perhaps some individuals to avail of the newly enacted law. Likewise, as part of the system, the judiciary would, in its own ways that are even more frustrating, equally frustrate any plea for its intervention to compel government institutions to release the information requested.

These among other things explain the extreme difficulty to initiate an independent, exhaustive and objective investigation into any major suspected case of corruption or complicity in treason that involves some high profile personalities, let alone get them properly prosecuted. After all, due to the dominant culture of impunity in the country, corrupt and treacherous officials at all levels of government and their cohorts in the private and other sectors whose dead consciences have already rendered them too unapologetic and too shameless to be ashamed of the shame and disgrace necessarily associated with the scandals they are constantly involved in, ironically command respect and enjoy recognition according to their respective degrees of culpability in plundering the country’s resources and perpetuating the culture impunity in the land.

For instance, the recent and developing incident of the multi-million dollar arms purchase scandal involving a private plane linked to Pastor Ayo Oristejafor, President Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Sambo Dasuki, the National Security Adviser, and obviously a few other influential Nigerians, which was uncovered a few weeks ago in South Africa remain largely mysterious, while the efforts being made by the press and other civil organizations to get more details from the Defence Headquarters and other relevant institutions do not match the gravity of the scandal.

Moreover, the little details of another aborted arms deal of more than five million US dollars, which was also seized by the same South African government, remain quite sketchy, and as in the previous case, there has been no adequate effort by the press to push for detailed information from both the authorities in Pretoria and Abuja. 
One can therefore understand the helplessness hence the apparent hopelessness consciously or unconsciously exuded by the majority of the few sincere anti-corruption activists among lawyers, investigative journalists and other patriotic Nigerians of conscience who operate under these frustrating circumstances.

The situation therefore increasingly underscores the urgent need to prepare a comprehensive, realistic and effective strategy to harness and avail of the relevant and applicable international legal provisions under various international conventions, and also the similar laws of the countries that allow for probing and prosecuting suspects suspected of monumental fraud, war crimes and other forms of crimes against humanity even if the perpetrators are not their citizens and/or even if they have committed the crimes elsewhere.

This strategy should also include effective ways to strategically engage various international anti-corruption organizations, reputable pressure groups, influential lobby cliques and major international media organizations to ensure wide, systematic and sustained publicity of uncovered corruption scandals and cases of suspected complicity of government officials and their associates in fomenting, sponsoring or deliberately prolonging bloody crises in their countries.

Despite the hypocrisy of many foreign countries and international organizations with respect to their purported commitment to transparency and justice, a deliberate approach of constant pressure, sustained lobbying and wide publicity can make them succumb and cooperate, because their consciences are, at least, not yet irreparably damaged as those of their Nigerian counterparts. This is because, as opposed to their Nigerian counterparts, their fear of the shame associated with scandals and the damage it can inflict on their careers as individuals, cooperate integrity and national reputations as organizations and nations still greatly influences their policies.

Therefore, If properly and professionally managed and sustained, this process would eventually transform into an effective transnational pressure and lobby watchdog that can successfully lobby and even pressurize foreign governments and international bodies to live up to their moral and legal obligations by facilitating the process of hunting and prosecuting foreign suspects suspected of committing inhuman atrocities against their citizens or complicity in committing it by their actions or inactions, as well as corrupt officials and their local cohorts who enable them launder and invest their loots.

Obviously, achieving this depends primarily on the amount of sincerity, commitment and the ability of the local anti-corruption organizations, independent and professional media houses, other related NGOs and people of conscience in the country, of course in coordination with similar Nigerian groups and like-minded Nigerians in the Diaspora, to concertedly draw a realistic blueprint and action plan that would guide their policies and actions.