#GbajaGate: How Deep does the Rot have to Run?

10 years ago, when the then Prime Minister of the UK, David Cameron, called Nigeria and Afghanistan fantastically corrupt countries, the uproar in Nigeria was a mix of indirect denials and confirmations of what we knew all along: our country is rooted in murky waters of corruption. Since 2016 when he made that statement, the reported corruption cases have been mind-boggling and enough evidence to prove Cameron right. Not to mention Buhari's tenure and unresolved cases, in Tinubu's tenure, which began only 3 years ago, the EFCC has frozen 30 billion naira across 50 banks linked to former Minister Betta Edu's front companies and accounts, 4.71 million dollars (over 6.5 billion naira) from former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, and secured forfeiture order on about 5.5 million dollars (over 7.5 billion naira) from former Governor Yahaya Bello. That is over 44 billion naira. Disturbing as that is, the newest case in the chain of corruption in the country, the #GbajaGate, is a lot more unsettling.

Although #GbajaGate involves a lot less money, it reveals a pattern that is not only brazenly unusual but also calls into question perhaps every fundamental of democracy in Nigeria. In a country with established laws and regulations, that an individual will have the temerity to parade an unlawful agency of government, situate its office inside the premises of the Federal Secretariat Complex, write to the parliament, host "an international conference," interact with foreign nationals as a representative of the country, have an official government website, hire hundreds of Nigerians, and, top of it all, get budget allocation to the tune of over a billion naira calls into question the legitimacy of government in the country. Conceding that the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council is a non-existent agency of Nigeria, the more worrisome thing is not just the money they have carted away, but the amenability of the Nigerian State, in its own capital, in its national Secretariat, to accommodate a lie. This ought to lead to serious arrests, resignations, and prosecutions.

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There are many questions to ask the legislative and executive arms of the Nigerian government. Most questions than not are better answered by the man in the middle of the imbroglio, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Chief of Staff to the President of Nigeria. From influence peddling to assisting Betta Edu, the CoS seems to have a talent for running into trouble. This time, it behoves the President to step him aside to answer questions on his involvement in the fake establishment. Doing so not only shows a seriousness in tackling systemic corruption but also prevents the rapid ruination of an already teetering country. Or, how else does a nation crumble so fast than when the legitimacy of government institutions becomes a work of fiction? It is one thing that duly established agencies of government are corrupt; it is another thing entirely that one is operating on falsehood.

The legislative arm of Nigeria is also culpable in this crime. The supposed head of the Council not only met with them but also had his Council's budget approved. One cannot help but ask, how did it escape over 400 lawmakers that a Council on the budget did not exist and had been falsely inserted? How did committees relevant to the purported objectives of the committee fail to find out through oversight functions? Is any scrutiny done at all, or is it truly a rubber-stamped legislature where anything goes, so long as sharing formulas are agreed to? It is not only Gbajabiamila that should stand suspended and tried; all persons in public offices and civil service who have enabled the lie also ought to be in the same soup. But for the disagreement over percentages in the money heist, it is evident that the public might not even know about this lie. And while we are at it, one cannot but ask what kind of other false institutions are there that are in use to siphon money in the country?

Perhaps, one of the biggest negatives of #GbajaGate is the damage it does to the already stained image of Nigeria on the foreign scene. The said Council held an international conference last year, where some foreign nationals were in attendance. Whatever weight was left in the Nigerian identity in foreign relations has surely tanked lower due to #GbajaGate. If our country is as corruptible as to be fooled like that in the Federal Secretariat, what should become of State (where they supposedly have branches) and Local Government Secretariats? Arguments against the idea that Nigeria is not a crime scene now look like a fool's errand. Should a foreign politician say something similar to what David Cameron said now, it is more likely than ever that many Nigerians will agree and echo the sentiment. It is sad on multiple fronts, but when you consider that the humongous amount that these people steal could go a long way in fixing important sectors such as education and the informal sector, it is even sadder.

Just last week, the Federal Government announced the policy to extend basic education through the junior secondary school level to curb the rate of pupils dropping out of school. Some of the money being stolen from the public coffers could have helped a lot in this. The danger in stealing the country's money is not only that it strains the economy today; it is also that, when contextualized for future impact, it enables underutilized manpower and makes room for more sociopolitical vices. When education that should benefit from the money they steal fails, for instance, it stunts the growth of the citizenry as responsible and economically important members of society. The insecurity in the country and the growing desperation to make money through illicit means in the country stand to prove this point.

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Speaking about illicit means, the individuals who have been employed by the said Council cannot be spared in this crime. Whether in private or public service, when employed, it is standard practice that you know your stand as an employee, what you ought to do, to whom, where and how. Did any of the workers under Mr Adéyẹmí do any work, and what was it? How was the Civil Service Commission involved in their employment and engagement? How are they integrated with other civil servants working in other councils and establishments of government? Do they belong to any known workers' union? How is the Council operating in the States and outside the country? It may be a hard pill to swallow, but in truth, many Nigerians are, no thanks to poverty, easily hoodwinked into corruption. In some cases, some outrightly enable corruption. Whatever financial and other crimes Mr Adéyẹmí has committed, he, like any corrupt individual, must have had the help of people who have the mandate to serve the country as civil servants. Just how much, to what depth, does corruption have to run for these human tragedies to stop and let the country grow?