Teaching Comparative

Public theft in Nigeria

Simon Kolawole's op-ed piece in This Day (Lagos), offers an explanation for the corruption in Nigerian politics that expands on prebendalism. What causes could your students identify? How do those causes affect the operation of representative government? What solutions would they propose?

Nigeria: Why Do Nigerian Politicians Steal?

"Why is there a mad rush for public office in Nigeria? Let's toy with a few guesses. One, the desire to serve 'my people'... Two, the desire to 'make a difference'... Three, 'it is our turn'. The other village has had it, the other ethnic group has had it, the other senatorial district has had it. It is now 'our turn'. Four, and most interesting: it was 'my people' that asked them to run...

"How do you now actualise your ambition, having decided to run for office?... If you have a mighty godfather, you don't need to start from the scratch. He will do all the spending and handle all the logistics. The bill is usually in billions of naira, and you are expected to pay back as soon as you enter government, and then pay 'compound interest' for as long as you are in office...

"And then you are sworn in as, say, governor... The first item on the priority list will be to build a new government house... You also need the latest bullet-proof cars, preferably imported from Germany . You may not need another wife, but it is becoming glaring that your wife can no longer handle your libido so you look for several 'helpmates'...

"[Y]ou sit down and prepare a budget for education, health, electrification, ecology, security... Prepare a very good budget. Send it to the legislature for appropriation. Meanwhile, you must pay "appropriation allowance" to the lawmakers, if not the budget will not see the moon of the night. Or the light of the day.

"All contracts must be awarded by you and through you. If you budget N3 billion for health, make sure you take half of it and transfer it to some personal accounts...

"Having built up significant funds ahead of your election, you can now begin to spend more time abroad. You visit South Africa ... buy one or two houses there, so that when you run into some harsh climate at home, you can escape for fresh air, even if only for one week... Who likes stress? You come from a country where the roads are rough, the hospitals are horrible, the electricity is erratic (to use a mild word), and education is empty. So why not send your children to school abroad?...

"After serving 'my people' for two terms, you can now relax and enjoy the rest of your life. On your way from the parade ground after handing over to your successor, please close your eyes. Don't see the potholes that have become deeper and broader after your eight years in office. Do not look at the children hawking on the streets to keep their families alive. Do not give a damn in the world about the schools that remain dilapidated after eight years of budgeting and appropriation. Do not bother yourself about dozens of communities without water, access roads and electricity-eight years after you decided to answer the call of 'my people'. Find better things to do than to start worrying about the fact that the billions of naira you 'made' while in government could have turned your state into the 'mini-London' you so much admire and nearly bought up. Please, there are more important things to worry about in life."

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[Simon Kolawole is the Editor of THISDAY newspaper. He holds a B.Sc. in Mass Communication from the University of Lagos and a Master's degree in Governance and Development from the University of Sussex, United Kingdom.

His predecessor, Olusegun Adeniyi was appointed a Special Adviser in President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua's cabinet.

See "Simon Kolawole in, Segun Adeniyi Steps Aside," This Day, 14 June 2007.]

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Labels: Nigeria, political culture

posted by Ken Wedding @ 7:38 AM