By Dakuku Peterside
All men of goodwill who
look forward to a more progressive and equitable world appreciate the
tremendous good Transparency International, TI does with its periodic verdict
on nations and institutions across the globe. Sometimes I just wonder what our
world would look like without watchdogs like Transparency International that
continually reminds us about the way we are.
Recently, TI released the
2013 Global Corruption Barometer, GCB and rated political parties and the
Nigeria Police as the most corrupt institutions in Nigeria. TI’s 2013 GCB is a
product of interviews with a total number of 114,000 respondents across 107
countries between September 2012 and March 2013. The Berlin-based organisation
said the primary aim of the 2013 GCB report was to explore respondents’
personal experiences of paying bribes for government services on one hand and
on the other, to gauge perception of the integrity of major public
institutions. There is also TI’s desire towards a better understanding of the
willingness and disposition of citizens in countries under review to fight
corruption.
From TI’s investigation,
Nigeria is among the 88 countries where anti-corruption effort is ineffectual.
This verdict is ominous. Yet it has not provided leads or talking points in our
media. This important issue was merely reported and left alone. I am sure I did
not see follow-ups. So why are we not paying the needed attention to this
uncomplimentary report which has the capacity of stalling our investment drive
and growth efforts?
If corruption is any
abuse of a position of trust, either by an individual or an institution to gain
an unfair advantage, then this report by TI is incontrovertible. I know
corruption has many layers but this report reminds me again of some of our
nation’s recent experiences that are not only irritating but reprehensible and
regrettable.
Two institutions that
characterise the existence and flourishing of democracy in any country are the
party system and the institution of parliament. If one of the institutions,
political parties carry the moral burden of being the den of corruption, then
it is right to conclude that our democracy is sick. The other institution that
shapes the growth of democracy is the police which help primarily in the
maintenance of law and order in a purely democratic setting. This institution
has been described in the TI report as the bastion of corruption with no ray of
hope.
If these two institutions
(political parties and the Police) that I consider most critical to the growth
and survival of democracy and our country Nigeria has been described in such
very uncomplimentary terms by TI GCB report, then where lies our hope?
Have our political
parties derailed from its lofty objective of seeking to influence or entirely
control government course of action, usually by putting forward candidates with
aligned political views? Your guess is as good as mine. But I hate to think
like a few of our compatriots who are of the opinion that Nigeria is in reverse
gear. Of late, I just noticed that some us are becoming more romantic about our
past republics, particularly the Second Republic politics. Despite the
shortcomings of that era, it still remains one of the most colourful and
vibrant republics, that is if the focus is on political parties.
Many still remember
principal characters of that era like Augustus Meredith Adisa Akinloye,
national chairman of National Party of Nigeria, NPN and how he and his
colleagues at the commanding height of NPN leadership held sway on every party
issue. At the time, Alhaji Shehu Shagari was a member of NPN and president of
Nigeria, yet he submitted himself to party rules and regulations. All that
changed with the emergence of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in 1999 and as they say,
the rest is history.
Today, political parties
are extensions of individuals’ or group’s personal estates. There is complete
absence of principles, discipline, solidarity, group interest and camaraderie.
A party member could be sanctioned at the flimsiest of excuses. While some have
been suspended for their perceived popularity, others have suffered similar
fates either for fraternizing with members of other parties or for holding a
different view. At the bottom of the scramble we see in our parties is the
desire to highjack party machinery for personal and selfish gains, and
corruption is always the destination.
Yes, abuse of position of
trust is corruption and this is prevalent in our parties. Nigeria’s political parties
must therefore look inwards and seek ways of ensuring that there is a level
playing ground for every member. And to avoid a repeat of such an unflattering
report in future like this one from TI, our parties must return to their
traditional roles of seeking to influence government through their members with
aligned political views. They must also stop forthwith, all forms of witch-hunt
and intimidation against vocal members and perceived enemies.
For the Nigeria Police, I
am not under any illusions, it is a long walk. TI’s verdict therefore is
something that is already known to Nigerian people.
The police force
represents everything but the same purpose it is meant to serve. The problem of
Nigeria Police is not all about the quality of persons that populate it or the
culture but also of funding which is a creation of the Nigerian state. The
state that does not fund its police and yet still expects optimal policing is a
misnomer or a fallacy.
For instance, for 2013,
the budget of the Nigeria Police is N311, 148, 387,311($1.6bn). This budget is
meant to police a population of over 160 million with a force strength of
330,000 officers and men. This contrasts sharply with the budget of Austin, a
county in the state of Texas with a population of 843,162 people. The Austin
Police Department has a budget of $284.4m which is about N45, 504,000,000 with staff
strength of 2,300.
Whereas it cost an
average of $123,478 to keep a policeman in Austin, Texas, it cost $5,893 to
train and maintain a Nigerian policeman within the same period. It cost 21
times the same amount used for an average Nigerian policeman to train and equip
a policeman in Austin, Texas. The implication of this comparative poor funding
can be seen in training, moral, conduct, equipment and skill of the average
Nigerian policeman. Worse still, an ill-equipped policeman in Nigeria is
expected to police about 500 persons whereas a policeman in Austin who is well
equipped and has access to modern technology will be policing about 366
persons. Thus it will be sheer madness to expect similar level of performance
between a local Austin police and his counterpart federal police in Nigeria.
Every day, one is
confronted with a plethora of woes of officers and men of the force. I am aware
that more often than not, the individual police officer sources his or her kits
from boots to uniforms and other accessories. It is also common knowledge that
their take-home pay cannot really take them home in the real sense of that
word. In barracks and duty posts, issues of low morale, welfare, training, lack
of modern equipment and more echo. I acknowledge the fact that some state
governments have done well for the police yet it is not anywhere near the ideal
or what our expectation is from the force.
Under these
circumstances, corruption will naturally grow and fester. Officers and men of
the Nigeria Police live among us and are part of us, with needs and aspirations
like any of us. They say every society deserves its police, perhaps our police
is a reflection of our reality. But we must halt this reality if we hope to
build a virile nation where safety of lives and property, law and order is a
national priority.
The political crisis in
Rivers State today is direct fallout from failure of the police which is predicated
on the many challenges facing the force. We are all witnesses to the flagrant
disregard and disrespect of Governor Chibuike Amaechi, an elected public
officer by Mbu Joseph Mbu, Rivers State Commissioner of Police. Mbu as
confirmed by the Nigerian Senate and House of Representatives has consistently
worked at cross-purposes with the governor, thereby compromising the security
situation in the state. This is explainable. Mbu and the police he represents
will prefer to serve those who have the power to appoint or remove them instead
of the Nigerian people as contemplated by the Nigerian constitution. Nigerians
also watched the theatre of absurd that played out in Rivers State when five
out 32 members attempted to impeach the Speaker of Rivers State House of
Assembly. Sadly, while the assembly was on fire, the commissioner of police,
like Emperor Nero, fiddled. Nigerians also saw how four Northern governors who
were on reconciliatory mission to Rivers State were pelted and held hostage by
hired thugs at the Port Harcourt Airport under the watchful eyes of the police.
And in Rivers State, most people are of the view that the police high command
is exacerbating the crisis in the state because of certain interests that must
be protected at all costs.
Corruption therefore is
at the root of institutional decadence, dereliction of duty, deficit of
professionalism and political meddlesomeness that has characterised the Nigeria
Police of today as can be seen in the case of Commissioner Mbu in Rivers State,
a classic case of a political policeman who does not know his bounds.
As we consolidate our
democratic experience, let me say that we must strengthen our institutions. The
police for instance, must be structured to serve the interest of Nigerians and
not the selfish and narrow desires of a few. It is a sad commentary that our
political parties and the police emerged as TI’s most corrupt institutions in
Nigeria. This without doubt, calls for deep reflection. Nigerians therefore
must work towards building strong institutions; this is the only way to
guarantee justice, fairness, equity, peace and the rule of law.
Hon. Dakuku Peterside,
member of House of Representatives and Chairman, House Committee on Petroleum
Resources, Downstream represents Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency
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