SUNDAY MUSINGS: On the Matter of Executing Governor and Curbing Corruption by Mobolaji E. Aluko, PhD ( VC Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa) Alukome@gmail April 6, 2014 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My People: This killing proposal refers.....I dont support it. Why should we execute only corrupt governors? Why not all corrupt civil and public servants? , then I will begin to know that we are serious, and that we are including ourselves and many more that these my fellow delegates (though I am a virtual version) actually know. I can ASSURE you all that the TOTALITY of corrupt civil and public servants in Nigeria EXCEEDS by 1000-fold the number of corrupt governors in the country, and they collectively steal - or cause to be stolen or diverted or have government short-changed - 1000-fold of what governors steal, after having instructed the governors how best to do the stealing.....no governor can steal without civil servant instruction. There are better ways of curbing corruption in Nigeria WITHOUT killing people - for now - because once you start to do that, ethnic bean-counting will start (You are killing more Yoruba than Igbo, more Idoma than Tiv, more Hausa than Fulani...). Please come with me: 1. Start with the twenty-plus banks that we have in the country, and indicate to them that EVERY SINGLE ACCOUNT is going to be subject to scrutiny. EVERY LAST ACCOUNT. The Banks are the LARGEST conduits of corruption in this country. Then 2. identify (i) LARGE bank account balances in INDIVIDUAL accounts; (II) LARGE idle bank accounts in CORPORATE accounts (III) LARGE bank account movements within the country (IV) LARGE bank account movements to outside of the country and seize them - or their equivalent. The owners will have to FULLY explain how they got them within 30 days before they are IRRETRIEVABLY seized. Even if there is full explanation, they will have to EXPLAIN, with documents, the amount of TAXES (VAT, personal income, witholding taxes, etc.) that they paid before they accumulated such amounts. Any idle but legal funds above a certain amount should be TAXED. How LARGE is LARGE is subject to discussion, but we must start somewhere. This exercise should then become an ANNUAL ROUTINE, or even a QUARTERLY routine if it is seen to be easily violable. FOr this, the ICPC, the EFCC and the CCB - or a combination of all of them MUST be fully empowered. 3. We now go to Abuja and all the 36 capitals of our states, and also choose TWO OTHER LARGE CITIES each in each state, and TWO OTHER SMALL TOWNS in each state, and IDENTIFY all the BIG FANCY HOUSES in each one - let us say at total of 200 cities, towns and villages in Nigeria - and IDENTIFY every (i) big and fancy house, particulary in tony neighborhoods; (ii) every private airplane or jet (iii) every private boat or yacht owned by INDIVIDUALS and owned by CORPORATE ENTITIES in the last 15 years only - for starters. We VALUE each asset, and then ask each owner registered or not how he got the money to acquire the asset.........with DOCUMENTATION if he or she says that the value of the asset is less than valued. This issue of PROPERTY identification and TAXATION must become ROUTINE because in addition to cash above, it is in these expensive assets that corrupt money is easily hidden. 4. Next, we go AFTER every FEDERAL Ministry (to start with, but states can join in too) (i) Permanent Secretary (ii) Director (iii) down to head of department,,,,down to chief accountant, senior auditor, etcheram, ad nauseum (iv) Judges every last one of them, and ask for ALL THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS, with first and last and middle name (sometimes reversed, sometimes changed around, etc.) and with sworn declaration that that is all the bank accounts that they have, and if any other is found, those will be seized with immediate effect. Honestly, our civil service is corrupt, corrupt, corrupt..........let me just stop there for now..... 5. We DISMISS every single policeman that asks for and gets as much as N100, N400 in bribes from ANYBODY on the streets. That is one of the greatest CANCERS of corruption in our country - in addition to our banks - when EVERYBODY believes that for some fee, they will get away with whatever they do. Even the fear of TERRORISM does not seem to have diminished the capacity to still ask for bribes - I still see bribery being openly done everywhere, including in Abuja. A country in which its police system and its judicial system are as compromised as ours is gone if that is not taken seriously. 6. We make ALL elected legislative work PART-TIME in Nigeria, for the next 20 years and cut by 50-75%% their salaries and allowances. It is absurd - and I believe that it is only in Nigeria - that you PATENTLY become rich by entering into public service. In most other countries, public service is a service of relative poverty, where you make your mark in public service, and then you get your financial reward in private service later on if you choose. We have made things upside down in Nigeria. My People, I can go on and on, but those who are simply asking for execution of Governors are paying lip service to curbing corruption in the country. It is And there you have it. Bolaji Aluko Indignant Virtual Delegate
Posted on: Sun, 06 Apr 2014 10:30:53 +0000
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