RECENT events in Brazil and South Africa have highlighted a growing trend by the people even in relatively young democracies to hold their leaders to account, something that is still a rarity in Nigeria, more than 16 years after the country returned to civil rule. By their actions, citizens of both countries are steadily advancing the sacred belief that power belongs to the people and is only held in trust by the leaders.
Both Presidents Dilma Rousseff of Brazil and her South African counterpart, Jacob Zuma, are passing through the most torrid times in their hitherto sterling political careers as the former faces the prospect of an imminent impeachment, while the latter, having been brought down from his high horse, is now showing a rare sense of contriteness, expected to be followed by atonement.
At the root of the crises in both countries is the high level of a seemingly untamable corruption and abuse of office, just as is the case here in Nigeria. Zuma, an anti-apartheid campaigner that shared the notorious Robben Island Prison in South Africa with the legendary Nelson Mandela, came to power with the promise of redistributing the country’s wealth more equitably. He was, however, indicted recently by his country’s highest court for illegally spending $23 million of public funds on the upgrade of his private country home.
Although the 73-year-old politician, with barely any formal education, had survived many scandals in the past, including allegations of corruption and raping an HIV infected woman, he could not wriggle out this time as the court ruled that he must refund the money spent to add a cattle enclosure, swimming pool, chicken run, amphitheatre and visitor centre to his Nkandla village home, all in the name of a security upgrade. Zuma may have staved off impeachment, which was the target of the opposition parties that took up the case, but his decision to refund the money and apologise to the nation is a major blow to corruption and impunity. It is more significant when it is considered that a sitting president in Nigeria cannot even be tried at all.
Likewise, in Brazil, Rousseff, the first female president in South America’s largest economy, is accused of manipulating government accounts to support her re-election two years ago. She is also facing the backlash of a country hit by a hitherto flourishing economy that has suddenly tanked, spawning its worst form of recession in more than three decades, with an inflation rate of 10.7 per cent, a 12-year high, and a nine per cent unemployment rate that is expected to enter double digits in the coming months.
She is trying, though unsuccessfully, to extricate herself from the serial corruption morass that has ensnared the country since her party, the Workers Party, came to power in 2003. Two of the biggest corruption scandals in the country have been codenamed Mensalo and Operation Car Wash. In the former, which preceded Rousseff’s tenure, public funds were allegedly paid to parliamentarians to back the government during crucial votes.
But in the latter, the Workers Party is alleged to have funded its elections from proceeds of inflated contracts involving the largest construction companies in the country and Petrobras, the country’s version of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. About $3 billion was involved in the racket that shares a striking similarity with the $2.1 billion allegedly dispensed by the Office of the National Security Adviser to the Peoples Democratic Party members before the last elections.
According to BBC reports detailing some of the messy deals, contracts awarded by Petrobras were inflated and the proceeds passed on to executives of the oil firm and party officials who then funnelled the money into funding election campaigns. In a country where public discontent does not allow a political office holder to get away with such infractions with a pat on the back, unprecedented nationwide protests have unsettled the polity.
Quite instructively, the parliament, as the true voice of the people, has sided with the people. When the issue was put to vote, the congressional committee of 65 members voted 27 to 38 in favour of the president’s impeachment. Her mentor and predecessor, Inacio Lula da Silva, whom she tried to protect by offering an appointment, has, in the course of investigation, been detained and his fate hangs in the balance.
Unlike the situation in Nigeria where people leap to the defence of corrupt politicians based on ethnic, religious and primordial sentiments, nearly 40 politicians, business moguls and black market dealers involved in the shady affair since it broke out two years ago have been tried and jailed. Yet, the people are not appeased until the president, on whose table the buck stops, is also dragged into the hole.
Very important lessons are embedded in the two incidents, especially as Nigeria continues the quest to deepen her democracy and root out all vestiges of corruption from the system. The courageous roles played by the judges are an indication that the war against corruption can only succeed if the judiciary joins forces with the government. The protesting crowds have also shown that, on matters bordering on corruption, there should be no cosiness with politicians. The latency of the citizens, as is the case in Nigeria, is the only thing needed for corruption, bad governance and lack of accountability to thrive.
Unfortunately, while over 40 people have been jailed in connection with Operation Car Wash, including party leaders and top government functionaries, nobody has been jailed yet in Nigeria in connection with the $2.1 billion arms purchase deal. It is even more embarrassing that four years after the fuel subsidy scam where N2.53 trillion of government money was misappropriated in the name of subsidy payments, not one single person has been sentenced.
Also notable is the fact that a former president is facing threat of jail in Brazil on account of his deeds while in office. In other climes, former presidents and prime ministers, among them Ehud Olmert and Moshe Katsav of Israel and Alberto Fujimori of Peru, have been sentenced on account of what they did while in office. Until Nigeria starts taking very serious steps to ensure that nobody gets away with impunity, nobody will take her seriously.
