CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA IS BEYOND BUHARI TO FIX.

Icheoku says corruption is not just when you hand the proverbial over-stuffed 'Ghana Must Go' bags to an official to help influence a decision. No, corruption is bigger and greater than that; it is a cacophony of multi-layered things that aggregate together to help diminish the efficiency of running any society. Whenever a definite outcome is intended and something exchanges hands prior, as a quid pro quod for that purpose, corruption ensues. It could be in form of paying a stated amount to secure a contract; trading a favor for a favor; sex for favor; job placement for reciprocal favor or just anything that without which, the derived outcome would not have been possible. When a students sleeps with her professor for some passing grades, it is also corruption. 

When a mechanic steals a part from a vehicle and tells the owner that it needs to be replaced and then turn around and sell the same part back to the owner, its is corruption. When a doctor employed by a government hospitals redirects patients to his private clinic or hospital, that is corruption. When a lawyer aids and abets corruption, bribing judges for a decision, that is corruption. When a butcher shorts his meat buying customer by not cutting out the full portion paid for, that's corruption. When a builder steals building materials from construction site, that's corruption. When a pastor delves into a lot of abracadabra, speaking in tongues and making false prophesies just to swindle faithfuls of their  money in the form of tithes, that's corruption. It is also corruption to offer or receive and to demand or accept bribe; and the list goes on ad infinitum. So corruption is a whole gamut of bad behaviors which affect a society and renders it ungovernable or inefficient. 

Corruption is universal and is not restricted to any third world developing country including Nigeria. FIFA takes bribe to influence a host country of their world cup soccer tournaments. British BAE was sometime ago fingered for offering bribes totaling billions of dollars to Saudi Arabia top government officials to secure some arms contracts. American Halliburton was caught and fined for offering Nigerian government officials bribes totaling about $180 million. German's Siemens have been severally caught bribing government officials all over the world. United States Congressman William Jefferson was convicted for taking bribe, which implicated Nigeria's former vice president Abubakar Atiku. Brazil's Petrobras (NNPC equivalent) was involved in huge multi billion dollar corruption scandal. Russia's Vladimir Putin spent $50 billion to host winter Olympics in Sochi when experts had valued the cost at only $18 billion. So it is a universal cancer but it behoves on any government or country to control it and not let it define it and mess up their society.

So relating back to the current corruption war being waged by President Muhammadu Buhari in Nigeria, Icheoku laments that it is not comprehensive enough, but merely selectively targeted at perceived political opponents. A government desirous of earnestly fighting corruption should devise a wholesome approach, an anti-corruption program, designed and specifically directed at waging the war in a more holistic way and touching every facet of the society and conclusively too. Therefore all the pretensions of President Muhammadu Buhari notwithstanding, Nigerians are still waiting for that hero of anti-corruption war who will come and finally put Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida in handcuffs and marshall them before corruption tribunals or courts. This two former leaders of Nigeria are living examples of the power of corruption as their inexplicable wealth cannot be explained out any other way. So as long as this two corruption poster boys (men) are still walking the landscape of Nigeria freely, Nigerians will continue to see the war on corruption as not touching everyone or in another speak, not far reaching. 

For any corruption war to be effective, Nigerians must see it as total, comprehensive and foundational; and touching and extirpating the very roots of corruption in Nigeria by uprooting the two men who are both personifications of corruption in Nigeria. Therefore any war on corruption in Nigeria that does not touch and concern this two men is shallow at best and will be seen by Nigerians as not far reaching. Many a Nigerian will jump for joy the day this two men are asked to explain the source of their stupendous wealth; otherwise how much is an army general's salary that they should have the amount of wealth which they parade. How much was his salary and remunerations as a general and head of state that Ibrahim Babangida should own a private jet as well as other accouterments of a multi billionaire? Ditto Olusegun Obasanjo, who channels many of his private wealth, including a private plane, through his former domestic servant Andy Uba?  This is a domestic servant who declared assets in excess of three trillion Naira and you wonder if this is for an ordinary "domestic servant, how much his master probably has? It should not be a case of the "catch me if you can" stance of Olusegun Obasanjo; but Obasanjo should be asked to explain the source of his wealth; falling which the government should seize them as proceeds of corruption or illicit dealings. it should be as it obtains in civilized societies, where any sudden wealth has to be accounted for, otherwise the government will step in and confiscate them as proceeds of corruption and/or illicit trade, including drug running. 

Regardless, Icheoku opines that the government should rather redirect its effort against corruption by adopting a new approach in its war. The government should instead of all this dramatic arrests and charges, direct its energies at appealing to the better side of Nigerians, to persuade them to curb their crave for easy sudden wealth and to curb their excessive greed. The government should prick the conscience of Nigerians into becoming a better people, who look forward to the common good of the nation instead of always abstracting things from it just for themselves and their families. Like American President J.F Kenndy once told Americans to ask for what they could do for their country, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari could adopt this mantra for Nigerians. The government should try and persuade Nigerians to cut their desire for excessiveness and learn to live within their means; somewhat of a new orientation of the Nigerian society to stop worshipping wealth, regardless of its source. A more holistic campaign of a "War Against Excessive Greed and Want" should be adopted and instituted to replace the current war against corruption. 

Icheoku says corruption is symptomatic of a dysfunctional society where every mindset is fixated on making it rich. Hence whatever brings in the extra benefit is tolerated as beneficial, whether or not its other name is corruption. This is the mindset that breeds expectations of returns on favors and this is the mindset that fuels corruption and until it is tackled, the war is never going to end. If this inner conscience of Nigerians is not activated, President Muhammadu Buhari can do whatever he wants to fight corruption, but that will last as long as he lasts as Nigeria's president. As soon as he goes away or his term comes to an end, Nigerians as usual, will go back to their default position. They will simply walk away from the narrow path of corruption-free country President Muhammad Buhari would have laboriously worked to enthrone. It will be back to their former squalor once the sheriff who does not tolerate corruption and is watching over them with his cudgel by the side is gone. Recall that Buhari's previous 'WAI' suffered a catastrophic demise the moment he was shoved out of office and the little gains of that effort lost alongside with his being removed from power. 

Icheoku recalls that the evil genius Ibrahim Babangida, the man who institutionalized corruption in Nigeria, once boasted that every Nigerian except Gani Fawehinmi has a price. He went ahead to prove this by compromising the holier than thou Wole Soyinka, who could not give a detailed account of how he spent the over 700 million Naira he was given with which to run the Federal Road Safety Corp. The crux of the matter is that Nigerians lack core; they are not disciplined enough; they do not love their country nor country men and women, and above all, they easily fall prey to corrupt enticements. They steal from Nigeria and invest same in other peoples countries, thereby growing those other countries economy at the detriment of their own country. NADECO was similarly compromised through bribery and corruption which saw key members thereof switching sides; while some later served in Abacha's regime, some others were paid to chorus that MKO was not the messiah Nigerians needed. Their unconscionable action effectively killed and buried the June 12 struggle and with it Abiola's mandate gave up the final ghost. So many prominent Yoruba people who should be at the forefront, leading the charge to actualize Abiola's mandate, made unholy u-turns just for money, they abandoned the struggle and it petered to an end. So speaking of corruption and its diversity of forms.

Icheoku says in essence the war against corruption should be somewhat tinkered to direct it to repairing the mindsets of Nigerians to do better for their country. The mindset that found James Ibori not guilty of corruption against all clear subsisting evidence, needs to be retrained. The mindset that saw a nearly penniless Olusegun Obasanjo catapult to a stupendously wealthy individual, needs to be rejigged. The mindset that saw Ibrahim Babangida go from a retired army general to a very wealthy billionaire needs to be appealed to to change and do better. The mindset that saw Sani Abacha loot the country nearly blind, that some of his loot are still being repatriated back to the country several years later, needs to change. The mindset that saw Rotimi Amaechi hosting a 81 million Naira birthday party for Wole Soyinka, when Rivers State workers on mere 18,000 Naira minimum wage, are being owed their salaries and allowances, needs a complete do over; the mindset that saw former President Jonathan make funds available for Sambo Dasuki to dole out while claiming that his government has no money to build second River NIger bridge, needs a retreat; and the list goes on.

Icheoku is emphatic that if the grab-it-all-and-at-all-cost-no-consequences-whatsoever mentality of Nigerians is not cured, then President Muhammadu Buhari is merely wasting his time with his current effort to fight corruption. No sooner would his term be over than the next president would discard everything, anti-corruption, which he had worked so tirelessly hard to institutionalize. Icheoku says what needs to be done is to reeducate and reorientate the crippling mindset hounding Nigerians, which encourages and sustains corruption. The root of corruption needs to be uprooted - the mindset need to go. But until then, all these EFCC drama currently unfolding in Nigeria of arresting and informing Nigerians of looted money will remain what they are - mere showboating. It will not cut it. It is simply put, a shadow boxing that will lead to no where because after these guys, others will still line up to steal their own share of the proverbial national cake. They have seen the impunity which corruption purchased for Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida and so will equally try securing their own insurance accordingly. A total cleansing of the mindset and attitudinal change of Nigerians are required if Nigerians are to ever see a functional society, devoid of crass craving for looting of national resources. This way, a more well organized and functioning society, which Nigerians can be proud of, will finally emerge. Without a doubt, PMB is pointing the way; but the big question remains whether Nigerians will follow, assuming they are even ready to make the c-change necessarily required in order to improve the society.