Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,143,481 members, 7,781,437 topics. Date: Friday, 29 March 2024 at 02:24 PM

Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption - Politics - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Politics / Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption (1441 Views)

Legal Proof That Stealing Is Different From Corruption. / Jonathan Explains What Meant When He Said ‘Stealing Is Not Corruption’ / Analysis Of The Statement"corruption Is No More Than Common Stealing" (2) (3) (4)

(1) (Reply) (Go Down)

Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by donphilopus: 8:16pm On Oct 28, 2014
President Goodluck Jonathan recently downplayed Nigeria’s corruption problems, saying that most of what is referred to as corruption is no more than ‘common stealing’. His claim is wrong.

Researched by Taiwo Obe



A US-Africa summit last week opened with warnings about the toll corruption takes on development, sparking discussion about the extent of the problem in Africa and how it is defined. That’s an issue which Nigeria’s president has also been debating of late.

On May 5, Goodluck Jonathan responded to allegations that he is not doing enough to curb corruption among his ministers by claiming that most of what is referred to as corruption is not really that at all.

“Over 70% of what are called corruption (cases), even by EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) and other anti-corruption agencies, is not corruption, but common stealing,” the president told national television, saying the corruption claims appeared “politically motivated”.


Barely two weeks later, Ekpo Nta, the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), one of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies, told an audience in Abuja that “stealing is erroneously reported as corruption” even by “educated” Nigerians.

So was the president right to dismiss most corruption claims as being nothing of the sort? Africa Check decided to look at the definitions.

Is corruption simply stealing?

Put simply, while stealing can be defined as taking a person or organisation’s rightful property without their permission, corruption is not one but a whole range of misdeeds, the common factor in which is the abuse of a person’s office for personal gain.

As this attempt to define corruption makes clear, it can range from the petty corruption of junior officials – bribe-taking by police officers on the street corner for example – through high-level embezzlement and theft of public funds to the payment or receipt of bribes made to affect office-holders’ decisions in office.

The key difference with “common stealing” is that the people who break into a house and steal, have no authority over the house or property. And people who carry out a corrupt act do have that trust as a public office holder of some sort and abuse it for their own gain.

And it is this abuse of public trust that explains why civil society groups and others see corruption as a more serious crime than typical “common stealing”.

How is corruption defined in Nigerian law?

So is the president right in terms of law? The answer is no. Under Nigeria’s Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act of 2000, the term corruption does indeed apply to crimes such as the theft or embezzlement of public funds, but also to bribery, fraud and “other related offences”.

And in all these cases, it is corruption only if the person in question has carried out the offence through the office they hold.

Section 382 of the Nigerian Criminal Code, by contrast, provides a much simpler description of theft, unrelated to the role a person take in life. A thief is simply “a person who fraudulently takes … or fraudulently converts to his own use or to the use of any other person anything capable of being stole”.

Is the pattern of corruption changing?

So the president is clearly wrong to claim that the theft of public funds by those in public office is simple theft, and not corruption.


But could he be right to say that the pattern of corruption is changing and that today “over 70%” of cases now relate to theft of public funds, not bribery and other such offences.

Here, there does seem to be some evidence of a trend. Speaking at the 50th anniversary of his old school, Ilesa Grammar School, Osun State, the 2005-2010 chairman of the ICPC, Emmanuel Olayinka Ayoola, said that the nature of corruption it uncovered had changed in recent years.

“The commonest form of corruption in Nigeria used to be bribery but in recent years, this has been overtaken in level of prevalence by embezzlement and theft from public funds,” he said,  though without providing figures.

Africa Check this week asked the EFCC to say what percentage of corruption cases they have investigated since 2010 would fall under the broad category of theft and embezzlement of public funds, and what would fall under bribery and other offences.

If or when they reply we will update this report.

Is the level of corruption changing?

It is difficult to say. Many public commentators say that it is.

However Nigeria’s ranking in anti-corruption group Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index – which lists countries based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be – is little changed from when Jonathan took over as president in 2010.

In 2013 Nigeria ranked 144 out of 177 countries in the index. In 2011, Nigeria ranked 143.

Conclusion – Corruption is more than ‘common stealing’


The way officials talk about crime matters. And President Jonathan’s claim earlier this year that more than 70 percent of corruption cases today relate to nothing more than “common stealing” appears to be an attempt to downplay what remains a massive problem in Nigeria.

It is also wrong in law. The theft of public funds through the abuse of an official’s office is different from “common stealing” because of the abuse of trust it entails.

And it is because it reduces the funds available for public spending, distorts the decisions made by office holders and undermines public trust, that corruption has such a negative effect on Nigeria’s development as numerous studies  have shown.

In the end, whether the pattern of corruption is changing – from bribery to theft of public funds – matters less than that the overall level of corruption appears not to have changed at all.

Edited by Eleanor Whitehead and Peter Cunliffe-Jones

http://africacheck.org/reports/is-president-jonathan-right-to-claim-most-corruption-is-just-common-stealing/

3 Likes 1 Share

Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by donphilopus: 8:29pm On Oct 28, 2014




TANdroids, is that one of you?!

4 Likes

Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by EdCure: 8:39pm On Oct 28, 2014
Lest we forget.

Well done, OP for such robust analysis.

3 Likes

Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by donphilopus: 9:24pm On Oct 28, 2014
EdCure:
Lest we forget.

Well done, OP for such robust analysis.

1 Like

Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by vicadex07(m): 11:11pm On Oct 28, 2014
SaTANists over to you

1 Like

Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by edo3(m): 11:25pm On Oct 28, 2014
Tnx op. Incase they av 4gotten. Its annoyin that some nigerians still wanna vote ds guy again..

2 Likes

Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by donphilopus: 11:27pm On Oct 28, 2014
vicadex07:
SaTANists over to you

Like charges repel, while unlike charges attract. You can never find them here!

Meanwhile, here's Jonathan agreement with Jigawa State Governor:

Governor Sule Lamido DROP your presidential ambition and work with me or I re-visit the corruption charges against your children. I can sweep the corruption charges against your children under the carpet. I did it for Femi Fani Kayode, I can do it for your children.

..............and he dropped his ambition to save his children.

#‎Think‬ Nigerians!!!-------------------- #‎Nigerins‬ Think!!!

1 Like

Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by Rawani: 11:48pm On Oct 28, 2014
The PDP as a party is symbolic of institutionalized corruption, it has been it's undisguised hallmark for the 15 years it has been in power...it is therefore instructive that it's leaders and appointees would sustain this culture of impunity, while pulling the wool of ethno-religious hatred over the jaundiced eyes of TANoids and gullible Nigerians alike. Jonathan and Integrity are like oil and water, they can never mix, which is why the incorruptible General Buhari will remain his deimossian nightmare years after kicking him off the Presidential stool next year.

Stealing is not corruption, just as incarceration will not be castigation.

3 Likes 1 Share

Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by medamillion(m): 12:49am On Oct 29, 2014
what are u all saying? ordinary stealing you guys say it's corruptiion. Oga Jona no mind dem jawe...GEJ till we get sense# PDP till we demand freedom from polical slavery.
Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by kasiem(m): 1:19am On Oct 29, 2014
is it the same person that swore that abacha is not corrupt that made the statement? ........i just remembered that the sinless person in naija freed abacha of any corruption allegation
Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by Balyz: 4:46am On Oct 29, 2014
donphilopus:




TANdroids, is that one of you?!
grin grin

1 Like

Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by lonelydora: 5:50am On Oct 29, 2014
GEJ is working
Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by Akinsz: 7:58am On Oct 29, 2014
GEJ is working, corrupt people are happy.

1 Like

Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by donphilopus: 8:11am On Oct 29, 2014
Balyz:
grin grin

That guy putting N200 in his pocket must be PhockPhockMan! cheesy grin tongue!
Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by PhockPhockMan: 1:38pm On Oct 29, 2014
donphilopus:


That guy putting N200 in his pocket must be PhockPhockMan! cheesy grin tongue!
After all, Abacha is not kworrupt,
Says BUHARI.

2 Likes

Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by ayukdaboss(m): 1:48pm On Oct 29, 2014
PhockPhockMan:
After all, Abacha is not kworrupt,
Says BUHARI.
Just 200naira? Bros you cheap O grin

1 Like

Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by Canme4u(m): 2:00pm On Oct 29, 2014
They are even clueless about the fact that NIGERIANS are tired of them. They just wanna grab power which they have been holding for about 6years ago without nothing to show for it.







Sai Buhari2015




I believe.

1 Like

Re: Reminding Nigerians That “Common Stealing” Is Not Corruption by Balyz: 11:56pm On Oct 29, 2014
donphilopus:


That guy putting N200 in his pocket must be PhockPhockMan! cheesy grin tongue!
I think so too

1 Like

(1) (Reply)

Myles Munroe’s Family Gives Public Breath Taking Speech On Father’s Death / Buhari Was Asked To Devalue The Naira In 1983 But Refused! / Panic In Presidency Over Apc Vp Candidate, Pastor Osibanjo

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 28
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.