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By Hamilton Odunze
Democracy is a delicate proposition. It dies quickly in the midst of corruption. Any nation that wants to build and pass on long-lasting democracy to posterity must first fight the splotch of corruption.
This is why in Europe and North America, where this statement is well understood, the fight against corruption is a top priority. These countries protect their democratic institutions by ensuring strict adherence to the principle of the separation of powers. It is only in doing this that democracy can be protected and passed on to posterity. For example, after more than two centuries, the United States of America has been able to completely maintain a clear separation of powers.
It is the foundation and secret of America’s lasting democracy. Incidentally, it is also the most effective tool for fighting corruption in a country that is serious about building long-lasting democracy that can be passed on to future generations. With this practice, it becomes obvious that when Thurgood Marshal warned America to protect and pass on its democracy to posterity, that warning really sank in.
On the contrary, Nigeria’s democracy is vulnerable. It has not been insulated against corruption well enough to guarantee its longevity. Back in May 2016, British Prime Minister David Cameron described Nigeria as a fantastically corrupt nation. In fact, he said that Nigeria is probably the most corrupt nation in the world. In replying to this remark, President Muhammadu Buhari said it is not enough for the prime minister to make such remarks; instead, Britain should make credible efforts to help Nigeria to fight corruption. In my opinion, Buhari’s reply was proper, astute, and sincere. Yet on Buhari’s side, Nigeria must do much more than Britain in the fight against corruption.
I am not writing to defend Buhari’s forthrightness or the lack thereof in the fight against corruption. However, I have some concerns about his method. For example, it seems to me that Buhari’s approach to fighting corruption is more like a military purge not rooted in democratic values. Nigerians with a good memory recall how the fight against corruption worked during the military years. A military dictator takes over power, he arrests some “corrupt” officials from the past government, the lucky ones are sent to prison, and the unlucky ones are executed for high treason. And as the saying goes, soldier go, soldier come.
Perhaps Buhari thinks that for his fight against corruption to succeed it has to copycat some of the purported successful ones in Africa. However, many of the purported successful fights against corruption in African countries occurred under military dictatorships. For example, when Jerry Rawlings purged Ghana and instilled some level of transparency, he was a military dictator. When Thomas Sankara purged Burkina Faso, he was a dictator, and so was Fidel Castro and many more. If the president wants to follow in the footsteps of these dictators, considering that he has been a soldier for more years than he has been a politician, he becomes the proverbial leopard that never changes its spots but changes the tree on which it sleeps.
The fight against corruption in a democratic society is not supposed to mimic dictatorship. If Buhari wants to fight corruption like a dictator, he has only one option: to suspend the democratic constitution that elected him to office, to become a dictator, and to watch Nigerians cower to submission. Do I dare to say that this is just like setting the country ablaze? Aside from this option, Buhari must adhere to the values and principles of democracy while fighting corruption. For example, he must fortify the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that a former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, signed in 2011. Any government that is serious about fighting corruption in a democratic society must first commit to the open and limitless sharing of information. It takes time for the effect of information sharing to manifest in a society, but with time, it becomes the most resilient institution of a democracy.
The president must also recognize that fighting corruption in a complex and underdeveloped country, such as Nigeria, requires complete adherence to merit-based human resource management in public administration. This is the only way in which to carry the majority of Nigerians along in the fight against corruption. The main antecedent to corruption in most underdeveloped countries is the environment in which public servants and private actors operate. When this environment becomes too complex and bureaucratic, the temptations to go around it always give rise to corruption. Therefore, the government must ensure that the system is not overly complex and bureaucratic.
The truth is that Buhari must be careful in his fight against corruption because even when it is well intentioned, the unintended consequences can also kill democracy.