Beyond prosecuting the corrupt

Also published in Daily Trust

For the ongoing anti-corruption drive in Nigeria to achieve maximum and sustainable results, it must not stop at retrieving the staggering amounts of public funds stolen over the years by many government officials, and/or even jailing them, for that matter. The federal government should, in addition to these, take all necessary measures to disgrace the convicts lest they take advantage of their influence to bounce back.

They should, for instance, be stripped of their national honours, which they actually never deserved in the first place. Their names should also be removed from public properties, facilities and other government-owned landmarks, lest future generations of Nigerians mistake them for role models.

This is quite necessary, after all, it’s perhaps only in Nigeria that those responsible for the country’s socio-political and economic failure are ironically the most respected individuals in the country, while the society looks down at, and in fact, practically stigmatizes the honest and hardworking individuals especially who have had a chance to illegally get rich yet restrained themselves.

By the way, I really wonder how future generations of Nigerians would be able to unravel this funny irony, and indeed how the history will judge us (i.e. current generation) for our failure to even raise an eyebrow against this mysterious contradiction. One also wonders how, under these circumstances, an average Nigerian would feel inspired and motivated enough to remain honest and hardworking while he witnesses how crooks fraudulently make it, virtually effortlessly, yet escape justice and even end up as influential and respected dignitaries who call the shots in the society.

To eradicate corruption for good, the current situation whereby corrupt public officials who stole public funds don’t only escape justice but actually enjoy respect and recognition according to the amounts of their respective illicit fortunes, must simply be checked. This underscores the imperative of adopting these measures, which If adopted and implemented, would over time change Nigerians’ mindsets and attitudes towards those who have exploited their positions to plunder the public treasury and illegally enrich themselves at the expense of their (i.e. Nigerians’) socio-economic wellbeing.

To achieve this, the federal government should initiate a systematic drive aimed at bringing about a radical attitudinal change that would inspire Nigerians to imbibe the attitude of abhorring and looking down condescendingly at the corrupt former or serving civil/public servants, instead of looking up to them admiringly. In other words, the systematic drive should be aimed at reviving Nigerians’ conscience to inspire them to sincerely cherish honesty and hard work, and detest deceit and corruption.

This would signal the beginning of the end of the unearned respect and recognition that many corrupt serving and former civil/public service officials enjoy, which has always tempted many otherwise honest Nigerians into illegal self-enrichment practices. In the meantime, it would equally accord the hardworking and honest Nigerians legitimate recognition and respect, which they meritoriously deserve anyway, of course in addition to appropriate remuneration and other incentives.

Obviously, as this attitudinal change takes root socially, it would, as a matter of course, begin to change and influence the trend of official undertakings in the country, which would, in turn, establish the culture of adequately rewarding the honest and hardworking Nigerians, and appropriately punishing the crooks.

In the meantime, President Buhari should follow through on the ongoing probes and conduct many more probes as well, to ensure that those responsible for impoverishing Nigerians face thorough, straightforward, fair and transparent court trials, and to also ensure that they receive and actually serve their respective punishments.

Though this suggestion may sound too harsh, yet it remains the only realistic strategy that can uproot the deep-rooted culture of corruption and impunity in the country. Also, though this is admittedly hard, yet it is achievable anyway. After all, from all indications, President Buhari is determined to achieve maximum results in his effort to salvage the country from these crooks. For instance, recently a reputable national daily newspaper has reportedly learnt about a deliberate government strategy to refer corruption suspects’ case files to some reputable judges who would not undermine the fairness and transparency of the trial proceedings.

In the same vein also, apparently worried about the attitude of many unscrupulous lawyers who deliberately manipulate and unnecessarily complicate proceedings to cause unnecessary confusion and distraction in order to eventually undermine the course of justice in favour of their corrupt clients facing serious theft charges involving massive amounts of public funds, President Buhari has also recently warned and urged lawyers to live up to their moral and professional responsibilities in discharging their duties.

These and some other measures being taken by President Buhari give encouraging indications that, if adequately supported by Nigerians, he can and will indeed go to any  extent to tackle corruption, of course within the framework of the law.

In any case, these measures are necessary, because unless the convicts’ all ill-gotten fortunes are confiscated, which isn’t realistically possible, and/or unless they are given maximum jail sentences to unavoidably serve, they would somehow still continue to influence things anyway. Besides, their subordinates and cronies who can’t wait to step into their shoes would simply perpetuate the trend.