General Mohammadu Buhari President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
has shown determination to fight corruption by first declaring his
assets not only to Nigerians but to the world at large. By this, he is
seen as having fulfilled one of his campaign promises. From this moral
high ground he is better placed to pursue his ambition to get rid of or
control corrupt practices in Nigeria’s officialdom.
The 72 year old who once served in the Nigerian army becoming a head of
state in the process has declared that he has five homes, two mud houses
as well as a farm, an orchard and a ranch with 270 head of cattle, 25
sheep, five horses and a variety of birds, shares in three firms, two
undeveloped plots of lands, bought two cars from his savings and 150,000
dollars (100,000pouns) in his bank account among other assets.
His vice president has also declared his assets and will be followed by his ministers all governors and other appointees.
The feat chalked by President Buhari is quite remarkable and good
example by an African leader in this 21st century. At least he has not
paid lip service to assets declaration as other leaders have done by
declaring their assets secretly.
General Buhari has joined the ranks of some European and American
leaders like president Barrack Obama whose assets have been declared and
known throughout the world. Mr. Obama’s savings account shows only
1,800 dollars, apart from his retirement benefits and proceeds from
books known to all around the world. Isn’t this great example to all
leaders and government appointees?
The initiative taken by Buhari is a departure from the corrupt practices
of many office holders in Nigeria that include some governors and late
General Abacha former president of Nigeria who were found to have
embezzled state funds emanating largely from proceeds from the
nation’s oil wealth. Apart from Nigeria many heads of states of Africa
like late Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaire were found to have embezzled funds
from their state coffers.
This happened because they did not declare their assets and did not
live within their means and went on to steal state funds. The
international banking communities are aware of this rot and are
preparing to repatriate the stolen cash by some former corrupt heads of
states to Nigeria and other nations of Africa. Abacha, who ruled
Nigeria for five years after a 1993 coup, is believed to have stolen
$4.3bn while in office, placing him among the ranks of Congo’s Mobutu
Sese Seko as one of Africa’s most avaricious kleptocrats.
Following his death from a sudden heart attack in 1998, the Nigerian
government asked Switzerland to help it recover $2.2bn that he was said
to have stashed in European bank accounts. The tax haven was forced to
relax banking secrecy regulations after some landmark rulings.
Switzerland has agreed to give Nigeria $380m (£260m) that was allegedly
looted by the former military dictator Sani Abacha and stored in
European bank accounts,
The transfer will be carried out under the supervision of the World
Bank, ending 16 years of court wrangling. Late Sani Abatcha is not alone
in this act. Many governors and government officials’ in Nigeria were
also found to be involved in embezzlement of state funds.
From now on General Buhari will be seen as an honest leader, a role
model and a mentor to many Nigerians and people around Africa and the
world. Since no known African leaders and some leaders in Asia are yet
to declare their assets publicly, the move by General Buhari is enough
to ginger them to do so.
A study has shown that on paper many African leaders and their ministers
have promised to follow a laid down legislations to declare their
assets. However these leaders and their appointees are yet to do so.
This has led to suspicions that those leaders are not sincere and
therefore likely to dip their hands to steal cash from state coffers.
The Africa Union , the Economic Commission for Africa and other
regional groupings in Africa must take a cue from what General Buhari
has done to advise all African leaders to declare their assets and force
their appointees to do so. When this is done the people in each African
country will extend honor and respect their leaders as people who would
guide their state assets. Not only that the honesty shown by African
leaders would enable the workers and the general public to be honest and
eschew corruption in all they do as workers.
The writer is the Executive Director of EANFOWORLD FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, P.O.BOX 17070AN
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