It was over a year ago that Muhammadu Buhari won the presidential election in Nigeria – a stunning victory that saw him defeat the incumbent, Goodluck Jonathan, who swiftly conceded defeat.
In becoming the first opposition politician to triumph over an incumbent since Nigeria became independent in 1960, President Buhari rode to victory on the back of fighting corruption.
A year on, the battle has been far from easy and is raising concerns about the rule of law and democracy.
In headlong quest to tackle graft, President Buhari has found himself at odds with Nigeria’s legal system.
He has been carrying on this fight through the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which many Nigerians do not even countenance because they view it as ineffective.
Some 70 people have been nabbed by the EFCC, most of whom are members of Jonathan’s People’s Democratic Party (PDP), since last year.
Recently, the High Court in Abuja took the EFCC to task for acting in a way that was “illegal, wrongful, unlawful and constituted a blatant violation of the fundamental rights”.
The court added that these actions were reminiscent of a “military dictatorship that arrests and releases persons at will”.
The Bishop of Kaduna, Timothy Yahiya, said President Buhari’s fight against corruption had been “lopsided, selective and only targeted members of the opposition party”.
Former President Olusegun, who was also once a military ruler and who never shies away from controversy, said about President Buhari’s anti-corruption campaign that he should look closer to home, starting with himself, the Vice President, the Senate president and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Nigerian lawyers have also waded into the debate, accusing the EFCC and other government agencies of being threats to human rights.
They said they deplored any “step towards anarchy, which does not and cannot augur well for a democratic society such as Nigeria”.
The added that judges should be free to dispense justice “without fear or favour”.
President Buhari himself was a military ruler of Nigeria from 1983 to 1985 during which he ruled with an iron hand, and many Nigerians say they are beginning to see a return of this trait.
Indeed, when he came to power on December 31, 1983, he actually overthrew a government that had been democratically elected a few months earlier – that of President Shehu Shagari during his second term in office, just over four years of Nigeria’s first attempt at civilian rule after the soldiers had held sway since 1966.
“Those Nigerians who remember that Buhari regime are worried that he may not have changed and that history may repeat itself,” one political analyst in Abuja told the GNA.
“Buhari is a military man and he is driven by a need for power and control at all levels, which could undermine the democratic process,” the political analyst added.
This time round, though, things have changed in Nigeria and people are more interested in tangible things rather than abstract issues, noted the political analyst.
For instance, ordinary Nigerians are more keen on their personal wellbeing rather than on what they see as a fight against corruption, which they believe cannot be easily won.
A survey conducted by an international polling organisation before last year’s presidential and parliamentary elections showed that only nine per cent of Nigerians were concerned about corruption.
For them, having the basic necessities of life – shelter, jobs, food, running water, electricity and security – were uppermost in their minds.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, two out of three Nigerians live in poverty.
They have over the years become disillusioned with the various governments – both military and civilian.
A Briefing published last month by London-based Africa Research Institute (ARI) noted: “Government in Nigeria is detached from its people at every level of the federation.
“The federal system of governance in Nigeria is failing to provide the basic welfare for all citizens that the 1999 Constitution prescribes.”
Nigeria is the number one economy in Africa, generating about 20 per cent of the continent’s total GDP “and transfers a far greater proportion of resources to sub-national government than any other country,” notes the ARI Briefing.
It adds: “Yet standards of governance remain extremely low, public services are among the worst in Africa and economic growth has exacerbated inequality rather than creating jobs. “The federal system of governance in Nigeria is failing to provide the basic welfare for all citizens that the 1999 Constitution prescribes.”
So, this is the challenge that President Buhari is up against on the anti-corruption front.
Added to this is his failure to deal with the terrorist activities of Boko Haram.
Security experts say that Boko Haram has emerged as the world’s deadliest terrorist organisation, responsible for more deaths than the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).
The group, which abducted over 200 school girls from Chibok two years this month, has also started to use children and young girls as suicide bombers, according to security experts.
Recent reports said that a further 300 primary school children had been abducted, which the government has failed to acknowledge, and bombings continue to kill civilians.
“Buhari’s failure to focus on Boko Haram is increasing the risk of an escalation in the death toll while the collaboration between Isil and Boko Haram poses risks far beyond the borders of Nigeria,” said the Abuja-based political analyst.
“If Buhari was serious about fighting corruption he would be focusing all of his efforts on targeting corruption and security issues that have a direct impact on protecting human lives,” the Abuja-based political analyst said.
“Instead he has dismissed the threat to focus his efforts and those of his military intelligence on corruption in less critical areas, tied to his need for authoritarian control.”
The UK government has been assisting Nigeria in the fight against Boko Haram, providing over £260 million this year alone while also increasing financial aid and technical and military support.
Source: GNA
(By Desmond Davies)
