Corrupt in our midst

[ajingi]

There are many unresolved problems in Nigeria, but the issue of the upsurge of corruption is troubling. And the damages it has done to the polity are astronomical. The menace of corruption leads to slow movement of files in offices, police extortion tollgates and slow traffics on the highways, port congestion, queues at passport offices and gas stations, ghost workers syndrome, election irregularities, among others. Even the mad people on the street recognize the havoc caused by corruption - the funds allocated for their welfare disappear into the thin air. Thus, it is believed by many in the society that corruption is the bane of Nigeria. Consequently, the issue keeps reoccurring in every academic and informal discussion in Nigeria. How can this issue be eliminated? please K-onliners contribute in smoothing the jagged way to our progress.

[Shiekh]

Check and balance -btw arms of govt. is one of the ways

[EMTL]

Assalamu alaikum,
Yes, there will always be the bad and the good in a group of people.

We have a duty to show disdain to corrupt practices or even fight the corrupt among us. each of us has some contributions to make in checking this menace (corruption) in view of the following hadith reported by
Imam Ahmad (RL), who reported that the Holy Prophet (SAW) said, "Allah (SWT) does not punish the individual for the sins of the community until they see the evil spreading among themselves, and while they have the power to stop it, do not do so." (Imam Ahmad[RL]).

May Allah (SWT) guide us onto His rightous path-amiyn.

[alhaji_aminu]

salam

Good point shiekh. But that applies to other nations not Nigeria. In Nija, the execs and legislators are in cahoots to steal peoples money. Even the opposition parties are part of this mess.
The greatest antidote to corruption is to remove the incentives and place extremely harsh penalties on perpetrators. I am not talking about jailing a cop for a hundred years. No, it means dispossesing a corrupt political appointing of all his belongings and banning him from holdng office for life. Making the salaries of politicians extremely low so that it makes no sense for them invest heavily in order to reap the rewards.
Placing the burden of proof on the politicians not the state to proove the ofice holder wasn't/was corrupt.
this rea draconian measures but if they will end the scourge then I believe people can live with them.
Lest I forget, this might never happen.
Bissalam

[mallamt]

There is just one way to return the rule of law in nigeria, people engage in corrupt acts because they know they will not be arrested or dealt with and if caught they can pay their way out or documents get missing and the case can not proceed.  We have reached a stage in nigeria we should probably confess to the international community and tell them we are unable to run our affairs and they should get other members of the international community to run some of our services and put in place internationally recognised best practise.  We need a very willing leadership and we have to build many prisons first in the country so that there is enough space to lock up people for even the smallest crimes and people must be punished! Set targets for civil servants in their various disciplines.  If we have to bring in judges from other countries because ours are curropt then we must do that.  The problem needs a radical solution!!

[EMTL]

Assalamu alaikum,
......and just imagine this...Makarfi Accuses Obasanjo of Blackmail

Wants allocation to presidency pubished
From Agaju Madugba in Kaduna

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Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi at the weekend accused President Olusegun Obasanjo of using the monthly publication of financial allocations to states and local governments to blackmail state governors.

In an interaction with newsmen in Kaduna, Makarfi dared Obasanjo to also direct the Federal Ministry of Finance to publish monthly allocations to the Presidency.

He said the Federal Government's slogan of accountability and transparency should not be one-sided,as the President should also tell Nigerians how he spends "the lion share" of the Federation Account allocations to him.

Makarfi said,"this is the height of injustice as well as paying lip service to the principle of accountability and transparency.

"There is no justification whatsoever for the Federal Government to continue to publish the monthly statutory allocations to states and local governments whereas Nigerians do not even know how much the Presidency receives.

"I think the best thing is for the Federal Government to equally publish its own monthly statutory allocation,to convince Nigerians that it observes the principle of accountability and transparency in governance."

Makarfi asked his critics to bring the best auditors from anywhere in the world to examine his financial dealings in Kaduna, saying, "I have no skeletons in my cupboard and the audited statement of accounts are up to date,from 1999 to 2003."

He pointed out that he had directed the Ministry of Finance to publish the summary of the statements of accounts for the period "so that citizens will know that we observe the principle of accountability and transparency in Kaduna State."

The Federal Government began publishing the monthly allocations to states and local governments following its observation that governors and council chiefs have not been keeping to the Federal Government principle of transparency and accountability.

Minister of State for Finance, Mrs. Nenadi Usman, recently accused state governors of using the monthly allocations they get from the Federation Account to "buy up" foreign exchange.

"Four days to seven days after the FAAC (Federation Account Allocation Commit-tee) meeting, the exchange rate goes up," she said, adding, that "means that they (governors) are using the money to buy up dollars."

"Make telephone calls to any of the states, ask after the governor and you would be told he has gone abroad. Not only the governors, even the commissioners of finance," she added.

Usman said the governors' behaviour is the reason "there is hardly anything to show for the monies they are collecting."

The minister disclosed that apart from what goes to the National Emergency and Niger-Delta Development Commis-sion (NDDC), the Federal Government gets roughly about 48 per cent.

"If you compare that with about 53 per cent or so, you will agree with me that whatever policies and measures we put in place as the Federal Government to make our way straight, pursue transparency and accountability, if the remaining 53 per cent for the states and local governments doesn't do that, we are as good as we having failed."

She said most people couldn't distinguish the responsibility of the Federal Government from that of the states as well as the local governments.

According to her, "a local government road is bad and people say the Federal Government doesn't do its job but the Federal Government has its area of jurisdiction, it cannot jump into other areas." She said leaders should be held responsible for their actions.

Following the publication of the monthly allocation to states and local governments, the finance ministers were said to have received death threats.

[mallamt]

The govenor may have apoint but let him concentrate on his own problems first let him publish his own and account for his budget allocation.  Are our leaders not aware that this is part of the requirements in a democracy?  How can budgets be given and leadership does not want to be accountable to its citizenry?  Did they think that allocated funds are for their personnal use?  Where I work we identify individual projects and their budgets.  The location and scope of these projects are clearly identified and published so that even the local people hosting the projects are aware and make inputs as required! At the end of the financial year the status of each project is published, this provides a good basis of measurement of govt dilevery and ensures citizenry are fully involved in governance.  Managers of projects that are not completed are held answerable and in some cases dealt with for failure.  So I do not understand the governors protest, each project, its budget and its location should be published so that ordinary citizens can take leadership to task if their is no delivery.