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President Goodluck Jonathan
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For
almost two hours on Sunday 29th of September. 2013, president
Goodluck Jonathan responded to questions from journalists and Nigerians on
twitter on various national questions ranging from insecurity, power, 2015
elections to cost of governance, and corruption.
President
Jonathan agreed that there is corruption in some sectors of the Nigerian
government; the situation is not as bad as it is being portrayed. While
speaking on corruption, Mr. Jonathan said his government is winning the war
against corruption, and that the perception people has about corruption in
Nigeria is exaggerated.
We the
undersigned CSOs are using this medium to let the Mr. President knows that
“Perception is different from reality”. The latest Transparency International
rating had ranked Nigeria as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
The president argued that the global perception about Nigeria’s corruption was
influenced by continuous Nigerian media reports and those by civil society
groups in the country.
Mr.
Jonathan claimed that corruption in the country is still at a tolerable level
came amidst several corruption allegations made against officials of his
administration. We reject this statement made by Mr. President that CORRUPTION
IN NIGERIA IS AT A TOLERABLE LEVEL.
Among
the unresolved corruption cases facing the Jonathan administration is its handling
of the Malabu $1.1 billion scandal. The Jonathan administration approved the
transfer of the money to Malabu, a company controlled by convicted money
launderer, Dan Etete, in 2011, as payment for an oil block Mr. Etete
fraudulently acquired from Nigeria. The transfer occurred despite that
Nigeria’s main anti-corruption agency, the EFCC, was already investigating
Malabu for registration fraud and despite Mr. Etete’s earlier conviction in
France.
The
president’s claim also came despite the massive corruption in the petroleum
sector supervised by the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison- Madueke. At
least N300 billion was fraudulently collected as subsidy by petroleum marketers
in 2011, with active connivance of some petroleum ministry officials. Several
reports including that by a presidential committee, NEITI Audit reports and the
House of Representatives subsidy investigation revealed the unprecedented level
of corruption in the sector.
However, below are some of the incessant probes that
do not yield public reports under this current administration and rob Nigerian
citizens of their commonwealth and scarce resources. In spite of this, many
well documented reports on corruption suggest there is laxity and lack of
interest to deal with corruption in Nigeria .The following reports confirmed
our concerns:
1. The KPMG report in which the Nigeria National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was indicted for corrupt practices and short
charging Nigerians.
2. The Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative (NEITI) audit report exposing 10 years of corruption in the upstream
and downstream sectors of the oil and gas industry.
3. The uncalled for reconciliation of justice on the
Malabu Oil Deal with juicy payment of $1,092,040,000 to the other party
by Shell on the order of Mr. President, is clearly fraudulent, misappropriation
of public fund and abuse of office.
4. The probe of the Pension Fund Management by the
Senate Joint Committee on Public Service and Establishment, State and Local
Government Administration.
5. The case of corruption and money laundering trial
against ex-Delta State Governor James Ibori in the UK for which he has
reportedly pleaded guilty despite the acquittal granted him by a Nigerian
court.
6. The SEC probe and the alarming revelations of
corruption in the capital market.
7. The probe of the oil subsidy regime by an Ad hoc
committee of the House of Representatives.
8. The bribe scandal against Hon. Faruk Lawan,
chairman of the House Adhoc Committee on Petroleum Subsidy.
9. The impunity by some state governors in their
refusal to allow for local governments council elections.
10. The non-prosecution of those indicted in the
Haliburton LNG bribery scandal; the same where the Americans involved had been
prosecuted and charged in their country.
11. The integrity of the legislature has come under
serious suspicion with the too frequent accusation of the probe committee
members of bribery.
12. The revelation by Shell Petroleum Development
Company that Nigeria has since 2009 lost $1.5 billion yearly to crude oil
theft. All these among others.
The corruption war must be waged by more committed
crop of public officers as well as by ordinary citizens. The EFCC, CCB, and
ICPC alone can only be creating occasional drama, while avid corruption makes
nonsense of every good policy of any agency, including the present
administration. That the President Goodluck Jonathan should take a stand
against corruption and stop pretending that the corruption is been exaggerated
and live by example in the fight against corruption.
The under signed CSOs are worried with the rising
profile of official corruption in Nigeria under this administration. The
systematic failure has its root in the manifestation of corruption at all level
which undermines development and promotes insecurity and poverty in our
country.
SIGNED
1. Advocacy Nigeria
2. Alliance for Credible
Elections (ACE)
3. African Centre for Media
& Information Literacy
4. Centre for Information
Technology and Development (CITAD)
5. Centre for Democracy and
Development (CDD)
6. Centre for Development of
Civil Society
7. Citizen’s Forum for
Constitutional Forum (CFCR)
8. Citizens
Center for Integrated Development & Social Rights (CCIDESOR)
9. Civil Society Legislative
Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)
10. Community Action For Popular Participation (CAPP)
11. Environmental Rights Action (ERA)
12. National Procurement Watch Platform (NPWP)
13. Pan-African Strategic and Policy Research Centre (PANAFSTRAC)
14. Partners on Electoral Reform
15. Say NO Campaign – Nigeria
16. Resource Centre For Human Rights& Civil Education (CHRICED)
17. United Action for Democracy (UAD)
18. West Africa Civil Society Forum (WACSOF-Nigeria)
19. Zero - Corruption Coalition (ZCC)
20. Women Advocates' Research and
Documentation Center (WARDC)
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