Editor’s note: “The president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, was my childhood hero,” confesses Naij.com guest author Iniobong Obong in his contribution to the platform. However, childhood has long gone and things have changed completely. Buhari is considered no less than a messiah in an exhausting fight against corruption in Nigeria. What are the grounds for such claims? Buhari was once given a chance to wipe out corruption in the country as a military head of state, was it a success? Not in the least. Obong reminds the president-elect of his past mistakes and suggests 7 points to take into consideration and include in a corruption fighting agenda.

Story highlights:

– “On May 29, 2015, Buhari will be sworn in as a democratically-elected president of Nigeria. Will he repeat the past mistakes or has wisdom come with age?”

– “According to the Bible, everyone is born corrupt. ”

– “God has it all to fight corruption. God can give a man who embezzled $ 1 billion dollars headache worth $ 1.1 billion.”

– “Though different societies put different strategies in place to mitigate the impact of corruption, those strategies do not, unfortunately, change the corrupted nature in a man.”

– “One may win the war against corruption but it may not translate into a higher standard of living; Buhari’s military government is a clear example.”

I must confess that the president-elect, Muhammadu Buhari, was my childhood hero. When I was young and watched action-packed movies, my first instinct was to identify the “good guy”. I was never bothered about what the “good guy” did to the “bad guy” because I assumed it was for the common good. However, as I matured, I found out that I used to see things solely black-and-white and was completely oblivious to the thousand shades of grey in between.

That mindset followed me everywhere! For instance, I was extremely delighted when, in 1984, “Nigeria’s most wanted man”, Umaru Dikko, was kidnapped in London, drugged, put in a cargo bag and almost repatriated to face justice in Nigeria. Dikko had allegedly embezzled $1 billion of government money. Though the plot was foiled in Stansted Airport and the “bad guy” Dikko escaped, I and millions of my countrymen were glad to see the government meant business in the fight against corruption – Buhari was the military head of state at that time. On May 29, 2015, Muhammadu Buhari will be sworn in as a democratically-elected president of Nigeria. Will he repeat the past mistakes or has wisdom come with age?

1. Use the right terminology: corruption does not equate to stealing

According to the Bible, everyone is born corrupt. “We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Stealing, telling lies, rape, fornication, adultery, unforgiveness, jealousy, envy and malice are but a few symptoms of corruption. According to the gospel of Jesus Christ, anyone who is not born again has corruption in his DNA, and it will always manifest in one form or another. Thus, corruption is not all about stealing but rather stealing is one of the measurable indicators of corruption.

2. Prevention is better than cure

The best approach to fighting corruption is to prevent it. The goat and the yam analogy used in the debate is spot on. It is in the goat’s nature to eat yam if the goat’s stomach has room to accommodate it. Effective corruption fighting approach should be yam-, not goat-centred.

3. Do not fight corruption like God despite Nigerians’ messianic expectation  

God has it all to fight corruption. He is not constrained by time and neither does He need our votes to remain God. A democratically-elected leader does not have all the resources to fight corruption, as election is held every four years, and he needs the electorate’s votes to stay in power. If the due process could not bring back Dikko to Nigeria for trial, the matter should be left  in the hands of God. God can give a man who embezzled $ 1 billion dollars headache worth $ 1.1 billion.

4. Do not stigmatise Nigerians with the corruption crusade

Anyone familiar with the concept of corruption knows that it is a universal problem. Though different societies put different strategies in place to mitigate the impact of corruption, those strategies do not, unfortunately, change the corrupted nature in a man. Take a look at what

5. Beware of the man who stole $ 1 billion

In a country like ours, with unemployed and poor citizens, a man who stole $1billion is rich not only in hard currency, but also in political capital. A man possessing large political capital may be able not only to affect the election outcome, but also make the country ungovernable. Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram leader, was included in Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2015 list for the above reason. Though his clandestine sect Boko Haram was not listed on the ballot box, it consumed President Jonathan’s political capital. There is the need to understand the dynamics of unconventional political parties when fighting corruption.

6. When do we start fighting corruption?

To understand corruption, the limits of enquiry must be fixed. How is the lower limit defined? It is difficult to define a year which will be acceptable to all Nigerians. A unanimous consensus, however, is for every government to tackle corruption under its watch. History will be very kind to Buhari if he channels his energy to fight corruption under his watch rather than  dissipate resources going after past regimes while his men are doing the same thing. It is better to shine the light than to curse the darkness.

7. The vision of the country’s future should not be all about fighting corruption

One may win the war against corruption but it may not translate into a higher standard of living; Buhari’s military government is a clear example. A sound economic  vision, for instance, is what is required to take the country to the next level. A lot of energy should be channelled into that direction! It is foolhardy to fight corruption at all cost to the detriment of other sectors.

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