VARIOUS ATTEMPTS BY SUCCESSIVE NIGERIAN GOVERNMENTS TO FIGHT CORRUPTION



            The war against corruption in Nigeria dates back to a very long time. Every community in Nigeria has mechanisms for dealing with corruption with appropriate sanctions for corruption. The fight in the public sector came to limelight in 1966 when the military gave the reason for corruption of the politicians as one of the reasons for taking over. Experience later showed that the military is probably more corrupt than civilian politicians.35

            The military ruled Nigeria from 1966-1979 and handed over power to Alhaji Shehu Shaghari administration in 1979. But barely four years later, the Shaghari administration was overthrown by the Buhari/Idiagbon regime.36

The Buhari/Idiagbon regime launched a war against corruption, tried and jailed many politicians and dismissed many and servants. But when the Babaginda regime overthrew the Buhari regime, it released many of the politicians that were jailed by the Buhari regime and reduced the sentences of others.
            In fact, it has been argued that the Babaginda‘s government was unique in its unconcern about corruption within its ranks and among public servants generally, it was as if the government existed so that corruption might thrive.37 There is no doubt that scholars are in agreement that corruption reached unprecedented levels during Babaginda’s regime . By the time Obasanjo came back to power as a civilians president in 1990, corruption had reached unprecedented proportion that it formed a major portion of this inaugural speech.        
Thus, specific programmes launched to fight corruption in Nigeria are: 

Ethical Revolution
            Shortly after Alhaji Shehu Shaghari settled as president, he showed to all intents and purposes, that he had genuine intentions about Nigerian Nationhood, and showed concern about the prevailing ethical decay and indiscipline in the Nigerian society.38 As his blue print for bringing about change, he introduced the Ethical Revolution, and set up a code of conduct bureau. That was in 1981. However, the word “Revolution” had nothing to do with revolt, insurrection or rebellion. Rather, it denoted a complete change, sometimes quick in relation to its scope and sometimes prolonged but far reckoning.39 The main thrust of the Ethical Revolution can be summed up as follows: 

To move this Nation steadily and permanently in a discernible new direction of self reliance and dedication to excellence in leadership,  indiscipline, in orderliness, in hard work, in honesty, in morally, in mutual respect and tolerance, along with the submission of our country to God in National affairs and personal pursuits40.          

In spite of these lofty ideas and dreams about the future of Nigeria, Shaghari’s regime turned out to be one of the most turbulent governments that Nigeria has ever had. Within the first three years of the second republic, political violence and intolerance escalated in many parts of the country. Religious violence shook and threatened the stability of the country. Corruption became so pervasive that huge sums of money kept on disappearing.41    
Chuba Okadigbo stated that during Alhaji Shehu Shagari’s regime, the corrupt man was everywhere, in the streets, in the marked and even in the church.42

War Against Indiscipline (W.A.I)
            The War Against Indiscipline (W.A.I) was introduced by the General Buhari/Idiagbon regime in Nigeria in 1984. The Buhari administration identified indiscipline as the bane of the nation’s ills and therefore decided to fight it in all its ramifications. Hence the pre occupation of the regime was the launching of the different phase of the War Against Indiscipline which has become a household world in many Nigerian homes.43 There are five phases of War Against Indiscipline namely:
(a)              Queuing (March 20, 1984)
(b)              Work ethics (May 1, 1984)
(c)              Nationalism and patriotism (August 2, 1984)
(d)              Anti-corruption and economic sabotage (May 14, 1985)
(e)              Environmental sanitation (July 29, 1985)          
“The coming into view of the five point agenda of W.A.I. was necessitated by several occurrences. The phenomenon and the destination of corruption in Nigeria have been beset with a sense of hopelessness and permission.44 While the prospects of successful was against it was greeted with cynicism. The popular 1983 “WEEKLY STAR” scathing statement that keeping an average Nigerian from being corrupt is like keeping “a goat from eating yam” is a rather extreme and bizarre way to paint the picture of corruption in Nigeria.

This entire absurd happening which was an aberration, led to the establishment of (W.A.I) which has as its main plank fighting corruption, fraud, squander mania, abuse of office and graft.

Mass Mobilization for Social Justice, Self Reliance And Economic Recovery (M.A.M.S.E.R.)
This was launched by General Ibrahim bahginda on 25th July, 2011 but few Nigerians doubted his motives about the programme. The objectives of the M.A.M.S.E.R ranged from the inculcation of correct values and the spirit of civic responsibility and patriotism to the propagation of the need to eschew all vices in public service, including corruption, dishonesty, all forms of malpractices and the cultivation of positive participation in National life. It is however, one thing to propound lofty ideas, but quite another to have the will power, tenacity of purpose, moral foundation and stamina to consummate them.46   

War Against indiscipline and Corruption (W.A.I.C)
War Against Indiscipline and Corruption is an off shot of W.A.I. or better still a ridiculous copyat of the former regime of Buhari. The W.A.I. C. came into being in the General Sani Abacha regime and the launching of the programme was termed to put a stop to the issue of indiscipline and corruption. The War Against Indiscipline and Corruption (W.A.I.C) was launched on 4th May, 1994,47 but then it never made any impact, neither did it create a positive awareness. In lieu to this Wole Soyinka observed that for Abacha to launch a war against corruption was a “huge joke”48 because his regime was noted to have incurred the worst palace corruption in Nigerian history.

46 Chuta S.C. op. cit. pg 32
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