One of the pillars on which the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is hinged is the fight against corruption. While the government keeps making a sing song of its efforts in this direction corruption appears to be overwhelming the government. Not many believe that the government is sincere and serious walking its talk.
This opinion is hinged on the fact that many government officials who are supposed to be curbing corruption are the same people who are caught with their hands in the till. This makes nonsense of the attempts to bring corruption to its knees.
Few days ago, Nigeria’s touted super corps, Abba Kyari was suspended from duty following allegations of compromising his office arising from investigation in the multi-million naira fraud by America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). If the investigation turns true he may go down again in history as another police helmsman cut down in his own fight.
Nigeria is replete with history of police men who could not resist the lucre of a corrupt life which has cut short their career midway. The case of Tafa Balogun who became super rich through corrupt practices and was jailed but secured his freedom through a plea bargain.
It was not long that another police chieftain heading the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Magun was eased off his job after finding him guilty of serial corrupt offences. Aside the security operatives other top government officials have been implicated in high profile crimes in this government and previous ones.
The former Secretary to the Federal Government was booted out of office for corruptly using hundreds of millions of naira clear weeds in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP). We are yet to hear the final outcome of what the law did against public officials who were alleged to stash bags of money including foreign currencies at an Ikoyi estate.
It is an irony that the hunters suddenly became the hunted. It is this situation that makes many hold the view that every Nigerian has a prize. Corruption remains the greatest challenge the country is grappling with because it has never allowed anything to work. Worst, it has the temerity to fight and is winning big time.
The incessant unending corruption among the security agents symbolizes the frustration that characterizes the fight against corruption. The citizens would naturally point fingers at the corrupt officers as possible reason for their own indulgences in corruption. When it is known that those who can act as a check on their activities are not different from them they are emboldened to run riot and at the end compromise the said officials.
News Echo is worried at the culpability of security agencies who are supposed to be policing others. Their vulnerability no doubt is what has continued to fuel corruption in our clime. What is required at this critical moment is to set up another group to ‘police the police’. The government is challenged at this moment even at the risk of introducing unconventional method to seek ways of finding lasting solution to corruption.
Curbing or eliminating corruption will improve the image of the country before world communities. It will free funds that would otherwise have lined the pockets of corrupt public officers.
