I read this article on the Senate President, David Mark’s allegation of fraud initially and ask myself, which one of our politicians or public office holders do we consider clean in Nigeria?  I did not want to make comments but having read it again, once again, I could not resist the urge not to contribute this article.  As a matter of fact, Nigerians failed their system; our system did not fail us. Mostly in Nigeria, we have lost the moral

 justification and conscience  to fight corruption given that those who occupy sensitive positions  are as corrupt, or  even most corrupt,   than those that they flex their fingers in their faces as the corrupt Nigerians. With stories like this,   you will agree that fighting corruption in Nigeria is a long haul.

During the time of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, he attempted or pretended   to fix the system but sooner than he started, he derailed immediately due to forces that have been operating since our independence. At the tail end of his presidency, OBJ   granted interviews to foreign reporters while taking stock of his administration especially in the fight against corruption. One of the interviews that I watched caught my fancy.  When he was asked the difficult question, why corruption was so difficult to eradicate during his eight (8) years administration in Nigeria? The former President looked at the reporter, like, this one doesn't know how difficult Nigeria is; smiled and defended his actions. Nevertheless, he made a chilling revelation and comments that stared me on the face; “When you fight corruption, it fights you back". And I said, oh my God, is that all? And after listening to that entire interview, my bone marrow was engulfed with euphoria of leukemia, just like many Nigerians that are sick of the systemic corrupt practices in Nigeria. It is evident that we have no solution to this monster called corruption and how to fix our system.

 

When we say that a system is working, and/ or broken, we forgot that someone contributed to its success or the demise of that system. For any system to work, it   needs concerted but serious efforts of all Citizens to achieve the results that we all dream and desire. A system does not operate on its own or work perfectly in a vacuum. People make a system work. 

 

In developed Countries, the system has been structured to stand on its own given that the foundation has been laid down as part of the sacrifices by everyone. That is exactly what we see in the United States of America, which operates a sustainable and workable system. They did not start overnight.  There is no doubt saying that, it was a long and hard fight through their founding fathers to the present generation. Currently, Americans have no choice than to abide by the applicable laws in place to make their system work,   whether you are a Citizen, Visitor or Resident. You have no choice since you cannot break the barrier already in place and not pay for it.  In Nigeria, the contrary is the case and until Nigeria has such in place, we might be playing tricks with our collective minds.

 

We Nigerians deliberately failed our own system. We are definitely groaning as if the travails that we face today came from the mars. We are collectively paying for our cowardice, in a hard way,   in terms of the endemic corruption that took over the system for a long time.  Needless to say that the system did not fail us. This  issue takes me to  recalling General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida's( IBB) days and the  statements he made, I hate to call him President Babangida because he was a self-serving Military president during his inglorious administration,   when  he admitted that he implemented all that was there in  economic experimentation towards  lifting Nigeria up. As I recalled also, those programs   includes   SAP and all the acronyms that you can think of that he invented to lift Nigeria up. And yet, IBB failed and caved into that monster that is called corruption in Nigeria. Worst-still, he did more than to institute the worst foundation on corruption that has been difficult to excavate and eradicate in Nigeria, presently.

 

I recall during one of IBB’s broadcast to the Nation in the late 90s, where he acknowledged that he had done everything as far as fixing the Nigerian economy was concerned; “But some powerful Nigerians have made his economic policies difficult to work". Call it corrupt Nigerians or the "cabal" as they are lately   called, simply destroyed our system. The problem I have with that statement is that we know these corrupt Nigerians and they walk free on our streets. They call us idiots.  What was hard to imagine is  that  if IBB could not use his  powerful DECREES  to fight corruption in Nigeria for 8years, what type of  result are we still  anticipating as Nigerians except having our politicians  paying  lip service to fighting corruption in Nigeria?. It means that something radical must be done in Nigeria to save that system.

 

The use of Agency like EFCC to fight corruption only scratches the problem on the surface. None of those that have been alleged to have stolen are in the penitentiary for their crimes, as Nigerians continue to submit to the monster that has destroyed us for 49years as a Country. As a Military Head of State, IBB had all the powers to promulgate Anti-corruption DECREE but was pushed back by these corrupt Nigerians. The pertinent question about this ‘window dressing' and 'melo-drama'  about fighting corruption in Nigeria is , what else could Nigeria and Nigerians do to fix that system?. The reason being that those leaders that we think would fight the corruption itself   have corruption fighting back at them (I mean fellow corrupt Nigerians because they are not aliens from the moon). These people understand the game that the so-called corruption Czar or leaders themselves stink, so their hands are tied. Look at OBJ and IBB's life styles after their presidency. That is what I am talking about!

 

When David Mark became the Senate President and continues to play the game of holier than thou, it means that we are simply deceiving ourselves that he is a Nigerian, that is different from others. I remembered when he was the Minister of Communication during IBB; he made the silly statements that telephones are not for the poor but rich people. I wonder what the Senate President; David Mark thinks   now that the Okada people and even the poor Nigerians he denied access to telephones are moving about with phones   in Nigeria. Shouldn’t this guy be ashamed that he once told Nigerians that telephones are for the rich and not for the poor? It goes to show that our leaders have no conscience or even shame because we continue to tolerate their shamefulness. That takes me to the system that I am talking about.  We don't have any system in Nigeria. It may not be wrong to say that Nigerians screwed their system and their system remained screwed as it seems, forever. Excuse my language.

 

Oh! that reminds me of late General Akinloye Adisa's statements when he was the  Minister of Labor and Industry. He neglected to build and fix our infrastructures, mostly the federal roads across the Country. He preferred to steal his own public money. But as fate would deliver its blow, call it retributive justice if you like, after many years of retirement from public life, Adisa died in a ghastly Motor Accident while returning from Abuja to Akure on the same road that he failed to build or expand as a Minister. Nigerians had wished that fate works this way at all times. The story is unending in Nigeria. Coming to my point, assuming that Nigerians have workable system, the Senate President and probably about ninety percent(90%) of  the [s]elected  politicians and lawmakers  wouldn't have been where they are today, presiding over  the affairs of Nigeria, with tainted intentions. We employ same tactics that would never produce a different result. That is the truth of the matter.

 

In a Country like the United States where we experience and extol their working System, as soon as you delcare an interest for Public Office, you are checked out (I mean investigated) by FBI, for all that your past, present and future are worth. That is what I am talking about a functional system in place. Infact, those politicians, whether Democrats and Republicans,   who thought they were smarter than the System, have dropped out of a race as soon as their asses are exposed. Those that think that they are smarter than most Americans do have their ass kicked after all, after manipulating the system to get into office. As most of us know, the price to pay is huge. Most smart politicians don’t want to try that because the Rule of Law would definitely catch up with them, now or later, and they have a place in the American Justice System. Apart from the structures already in place, there are some who are even smarter than the system but are in negligible numbers. I must admit, there are no perfect systems anywhere in the world but we could have something that is closer to perfection.  Unlike in Nigeria, we don't have such stringent scrutiny in place to investigate public office seekers. Even if there is, the corrupt nature of the system makes it impossible for Nigerians to get the quality of leadership that they desire and deserve.  

When I look at the problems that have confronted Nigerians for approximately 49years of our independence, it is clear that we cannot make headway because we have inoperable System in place. We are recycling the same corrupt politicians in offices, in the mistaken believe, or, anticipation of achieving a better or different result. Wouldn't it be better to accept the fact that we failed the Nigerian System, Our System did not fail us? To succeed, Nigeria needs a radical change and all heads must get loose. Does anyone know how that can be done?

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By Atty. Ralph Nwokike, Writes from Seattle, Washington, USA.