₦airaland Forum

. . . (1) Corruption;

On Corruption, I submit that, under the Constitution, no President of Nigeria can tackle corruption without inviting impeachment, simply because corruption is encouraged and protected by the constitution which he is sworn to enforce. Here is why.

First of all, let’s get terminologically accurate. What we call “corruption” in Nigeria is actually lootocracy –the government of the people, by organized crime syndicates or mafias a.k.a. political parties, for the looting of the treasury.

Secondly, the 1999 Constitution has entrenched and institutionalized lootocracy. The constitution, by its so-called security vote together with its immunity clause for the top office holders, effectively invites them to loot with impunity. And, naturally, what the top officers of the state do, their subordinates emulate.

During the National Dialogue, in my piece in The Guardian titled “Four reasons to scrap the 1999 Constitution,” I pointed out that the 1999 Constitution is the godfather of corruption, through the immunity clause 308. (1), which protects, and thereby implicitly invites, looting by the highest officials who have brazenly set the terrible example that the rest of society have emulated. However, it ostentatiously declares in Section 14. (5) that ‘The State shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power’, thus giving the impression that it is for fighting corruption. But it then surreptitiously annuls Section 14. (5) by Section 6. (6)(c), its ouster clause. It is a fraud for the godfather of corruption to give the impression that it is against corruption, and the fraud is compounded when it empowers the state to fight corruption but then surreptitiously discourages it from doing so. That’s double duplicity!

Because of this fraud of an ouster, which makes non-justiciable its provision that “The State shall abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power”, so long as we have that constitution, nobody can end lootocracy.

That fraud aside, the cost of seeking office under the system created by the 1999 Constitution is so high that only looters or those sponsored by and beholden to looters (godfathers) can seek election to any public office at any level – LGA, state, or federal. And Nigerians expect them to end looting after they are elected? You got to be out of your mind or just fooling yourself!

Given that the Constitution has entrenched and institutionalized lootocracy by these devices, if a president – who is sworn to uphold the constitution –attempts to fight lootocracy, he would be breaking his oath of office and inviting impeachment.

The fact of life is that Nigerians live by “corruption”, they grow rich by “corruption”, or aspire to do so whenever they get the opportunity. At donation time, they celebrate the looters who donate to their causes. And, contradictorily, they can’t do without the pleasure of complaining about “corruption”. That daily ritual is part of their daily entertainment and frustration reliever. For these reasons, any anti-corruption talk in Nigeria is either a joke or a scam.

As far as the political charade is concerned, anybody who wants to get into office and loot the state coffers knows that the easy way to excite and dupe the voters is to pose as an anti-corruption fighter. But when he gets there, as he already knows, he can’t do anything about it because the constitution has entrenched and given protection to “corruption”. Because of the constitutional obstacle to eliminating “corruption”, it should not be an issue in any Nigerian election. It is a false issue, a problem that no candidate or party can do anything about.
- See more at: http://www.ngrguardiannews.com/editorial-opinion/columnist/197211-chinweizu-2015-between-liberation-and-slavery-1#sthash.pT68aphM.dpuf

Orunto:
Democracy, properly applied, can stop Corruption......... Copy the US Constitution completely without adjusting for the Nigerian Factor, and, let the NASS be controlled the way the US Legislature is controlled, corruption will stop. The Presidency will have a Pride of Position. This is not strictly Constitution Amendment that may involve too much rigour as we know. The Executive should just make Bill for an Act of our Legislature to Reconcile the Nigerian Constitution with the US and adopt all the plusses and minusses. Nigeria started beIng "Jagajaga" when we jetisoned the old GO(General Orders) and FI(Financial Instructions) and replaced them with our ill-prepared ones. The Military is bolder, smarter, more ambitious and greedier than our civilian. They wrote every constitution that has ever been allowed to work in Nigeria. In them, they confuse our civilians and consign them to fighting against themselves. They say Shagari was corrupt, Buhari took over. And now Goodluck, they say is also corrupt without evidence and want Buhari to take over. Let the Party that wins the Presidency, use its Vice President as the President of the Senate. Let Mr. President's appointed Chief Justice of the Federation be the Speaker of Rep. and let Deputy Governors be Speakers of our Assemblies. When the Constitution allows these, as inbuilt Control for Mr. President, the incessant threats of impeachment will be a far cry and the recalcitrance and corruption in the Legislatures will be removed. Our retired military don't want things to be easy for Goodluck or for any civilian President for that matter, unless he is a Retired Military, camouflaged as a civilian. That is the reason why they are backing Buhari to sustain their domineering advantage. Give GEJ A SECOND CHANCE, CORRUPTION, HARAMCRACY, MILITANTCRACY, ETHNOCRACY etc will disappear. No one will fear soldiers, retired or not any longer. GOD BLESS NIGERIA

Adminisher:
This is a satanic statement. You are cursing Nigeria and your unborn children when you say this. And you are saying this because of Jonathan. Shame on you, real big mumu, ole, idiot. An idiot supporting and idiot. Even Jonathan for all his intellectual limitations cannot say that no government can fight corruption. In Canada, politicians resign because of common filling of wrong expenses ($10000) mistakes, UK will hound away a minister who double charges fir allowances she is receiving. Nigeria will eliminate corruption when the right leader not the current incumbent inferior leader.

J12:
Nigeria is corruption, you can't fight yourself.

diddydiva:
only God can!!!