by Akintunde Abiola

Corruption is the major factor behind the retrogression of the Nigerian state into the depth of underdevelopment, a singular reason for the apathy which the welfarism and security of Nigerians suffers endlessly from, and the primary motivation for participation in politics and public service. To simply put it, corruption is the attitude that has replaced patriotic value and has become celebrated as much as patriotism should have been celebrated.

The primary reasons Nigerians voted President Muhammadu Buhari into power, was their trust in his capacity to return discipline into our society and to cruelly deal with this monster crippling the country’s economy – corruption, at a time when they can no longer tolerate nor endure the impunity of Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) administrations. Though discipline is still far from being the character shaping the daily conduct of Nigerians, but since Buhari took over power, the war against corruption has been gathering momentum.

Many prominent people who believed to be sacred cows have been bundled into detention facilities by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC); a development which many has believed to be an attempt to cripple the major opposition – PDP, a true witch-hunt in the guise of fight against corruption. Since the beginning of the year, a number of prominent people have been arrested in the ongoing fight against corruption and those who are guilty of looting the nation’s treasury, have any affiliation with PDP and have not yet been arrested are in fear of being picked up at any time by the anti-graft agency.

At the centre of the fight against corruption by President Buhari’s administration is the sum of $2.1 billion meant to procure arms to fight the menace of Boko Haram insurgency which were diverted and shared among top politicians. In the arms purchase scandal alone, the EFCC has arrested and grilled over 20 persons. Except for the unpopular Lawal Jafaru Isa, whom he was said to be a member of the All Progressive Congress(APC), every other persons that the fight against corruption have been taken to their door post are PDP stakeholders.

Though Buhari’s administration have incessantly continue to reassure Nigerians that it’s corruption fight was not directed at those whose door post lack the broom symbol but at those who are responsible for the wreckage of Nigeria’s economy, the question on the lips of average Nigerians is that; are the veteran APC politicians really saint and unworthy to be associated with corruption? How true is it that only PDP politicians are solely responsible for the wreckage of Nigeria’s economy?

The contradiction of these questions to reality can never be over exaggerated as today’s reality of politics is one which does not priorities welfarism and security of Nigerians but only pretends to do so superficially. The damages done to the sovereignty, self sustainability and development of the Nigerian state by PDP policies and their administrations can never be understated neither can the complicity of APC politicians and their administration in undermining Nigeria be overstated.

Corruption is an evil that must be confronted without bias if we must defeat it and it is a good development that politicians are being held accountable for their loot, though it is being politicised and enveloped with political bias. The struggle of definition to be associated with the present ongoing fight against corruption have seen youths who are supposed to be the guarantors of Nigeria’s future become the advocates of a bias corruption fight and defendants of the very evil that incapacitated us all – corruption.

It is audible to the deaf and visible to the blind that EFCC is bundling corrupt PDP officials into custody incessantly, from Dasuki to Metuh to Omokore to Ikimi to Fani-Kayode just to mention a few. It is also audible to the deaf and visible to the blind that veteran corrupt APC officials are part of the Buhari’s cabinet enjoying all that being a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria have to offer. From Amaechi to Fashola to Ogbeh to Fayemi, the politcizaton of tackling graft resonates as a reward for their unwavering support for Buhari’s towards his election.

It is impossible to advance yourself as an anti-corruption crusader when the major benefactors of your campaign are among the most corrupt Nigerians, and this is today’s reality. It has become very difficult to beam the anti-corruption searchlight on APC stakeholders who are known to have been less, equally or more corrupt than their PDP counterparts. This is nothing but an insincere approach to fight against corruption. The vote of Nigerians to install Buhari as the pilot of Nigeria’s affairs is turning into an endorsement to fight corrupt opposition and spare corrupt members of the ruling party.

 

Just like the biblical blood of the lamb on the door post of Isrealites which guaranteed the passing over of the angel killing all firstborn in Egypt, the broom which is the symbol of the APC is the mark needed on your door post if as a corrupt individual, you needed the fight against corruption to pass over you. The broom and the door post approach can never Keep an average Nigerian from being corrupt neither will it save Nigeria’s economy from falling apart under the weight of corruption. For President Buhari to live up to expectations of a progressive Nigerian, he must abandon the broom and the door post approach to corruption fight and ensure that all are equal in the face of anti-corruption fight.

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Op–ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

Abiola Akintunde is a political commentator based in Nigeria. He tweets at @AAbiolat on twitter, blogs on www.abiolaoakintunde.wordpress.com and can be reached via [email protected]