Buharicane

In 2015, as a civilian president, Buhari would be faced with a largely corrupt parliament and a bloated civil service that has perfected the act of sabotaging the system. He will not be able to make them disappear via a decree; and so would be forced to work with them in bringing some form of sanity to a Nigerian society that makes the indiscipline of the 80s look like child’s play. Critics have already doomed him to fail in this regard.

However, the man still has his reputation; and this will perhaps be the biggest trigger that citizens will need to change their ways. People have argued that Nigerians only respond better to force; but the truth remains that the greatest civilizations on earth have worked because citizens themselves made conscious decisions to do the right thing; of course aided by a functional law and order system. Perhaps, under Buhari, we dare to hope that Nigerians will begin this process of self-policing.

In government circles, there have been rumours of frightened officials willing to act as whistle-blowers as soon as Buhari is sworn in. In the past few days, there have been media reports of public office holders suggesting various ways of curbing corrupt practices. These, and more, point to the Buhari Effect. It is therefore vital that the incoming president capitalises on this trend and takes rapid steps to build on this as it would go a long way in aiding his anti-corruption campaign.

First on the list would be to provide a more effective enforcement process for the Freedom of Information law. The secrecy that has characterised government processes and records have made it difficult for the public and media to assess and analyse the true state of corruption and indiscipline in the public sector. As is usual in Nigeria, the enforcement of the widely acclaimed FOI law has been appalling as we have seen several FOI requests on information that should ordinarily be public record rejected.

Also, working with a parliament that will be dominated by his party, Buhari would also need to push through legislation that empowers and protects whistle-blowers. There are thousands of public office holders in Nigeria that are not very comfortable with the level corruption going on under their noses, but are hampered by the inability of the system to adequately protect them if they choose to expose these acts. An effective system that encourages whistle-blowers and provides 100 percent protection for them will empower the media to expose corruption.

A reformed judiciary would equally ensure that lawbreakers are adequately punished. Justice must be seen to be fast and fair to encourage litigation. Anti-corruption agencies should also fully be supervised by the judiciary which will then provide them with the requisite resources to ensure that prosecution is more effective. Situations where people who loot public funds are acquitted due to legal loopholes have become too embarrassingly common in Nigeria.

Education reforms would tackle the large scale corruption that young Nigerians are being indoctrinated with at early years. A young secondary school student who secures O level results and gets into the university through fraudulent means is already prepared for a life of corruption. Indeed, the generation of Nigerians currently in their mid-20s and below have shown very alarming perceptions about corruption and its place in the Nigerian system. The future leaders of Nigeria are looking likely to be more corrupt than the old guard that brought this nation to its knees.

The Buhari Effect may have kick-started the process; but the spluttering engine needs to be properly revved and brought to life by the immediate actions that Buhari will take as soon as he is sworn into office. For the optimistic, this may be our last chance at having a real go at corruption and indiscipline in this country.