The moral decadence of Nigeria’s political class is playing out in the ongoing mass defections from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party to the victorious opposition All Progressives Congress. No sooner had Muhammadu Buhari of the APC triumphed over President Goodluck Jonathan than the floodgates opened for prominent PDP stalwarts looking perpetually to the spoils of office to jump ship. Buhari and the APC now have a historic mission to break with the prevailing predatory system that has foisted parasitic political elite on the country.
Perhaps unwittingly, the APC’s campaign slogan of “change” has ignited high hopes in many Nigerians that its presidential flagbearer, Buhari, who has, in over four decades in the public glare, built a reputation for honesty and discipline will lead a paradigm shift for accountability in public office. The mass migration of the flotsam and jetsam of the tainted political class to his corner presents the first challenge for the President-elect and his party to stamp their identity as change agents.
There should be no safe haven for thieves…
We have had 16 unbroken years of democratic governance and reject the self-defeatist, self-serving mantra of undergoing a “learning process.” Much smaller African countries like Ghana, Rwanda and Botswana have left us behind in democratic protocol. Some South-Eastern countries like South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan quickly adapted to democracy after years of authoritarian military dictatorship.
Buhari should not bend his stated resolve to keep defectors and looters at bay. He should go further and bring all treasury looters to justice. These include private businessmen and women, local and foreign, civil servants and former and current public office holders who, with their collaborators, have made Nigeria one of the world’s most corrupt countries, ranking 136 out of 175 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2014.
A new estimate by the Business Council for Africa surmises that up to $1 trillion has been stolen from the public from 1960 to 2005, higher than the $400 billion estimated by the World Bank to have been stolen between 1960 and 1999. The clean-up will have to start from the President-elect’s party, which was born as an amalgam of opposition parties and defectors – led by five state governors – from the ruling PDP. A significant number among its leadership are also tainted by graft accusations, including un-concluded cases against them by the anti-graft agencies. Buhari should keep them and their nominees out of his cabinet. The rule should apply to private persons.
