PRESIDENT-elect Muhammadu Buhari may offer an amnesty to corrupt politicians who are ready to return stolen funds when he assumes office on May 29 according to former Ekiti State governor Kayode Fayemi because of the sheer scale of kleptomania in the country. 

General Buhari won last month's presidential election based on a promise to combat corruption in public life and is expected to clamp down hard on those who have looted the treasury. However, given the scale of corruption that has engulfed Nigeria since 1999 when the country returned to democratic rule, going after everyone appears to be too tall a task. 

Outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan's People's Democratic Party (PDP) has ruled Nigeria since 1999 and with corruption having permeated every facet of public life and every level of government, going after everyone will appear like a witch hunt. Besides, General Buhari's All Progressives Congress (APC) will not want to appear to be vindictive or giving the impression that it is using the anti-corruption drive to hound political opponents. 

Dr Fayemi, a key figure in the APC, said that although a Buhari government would bring all corrupt government officials to book, amnesty may be considered as a form of incentive for corrupt persons who voluntarily come out to return stolen funds. He added that the government would use all means to ensure that justice and fairness were established. 

According to Dr Fayemi, General Buhari’s promise to extend the hand of friendship across the political divide in his acceptance speech shortly after winning the poll, does not mean that he would not prosecute corrupt government officials who served in the Goodluck administration. He indicated that the APC would use both the carrot and stick approach to addressing the problem. 

Dr Fayemi said: “Corruption is not going to be dealt with by punishment alone. It is also going to be dealt with by incentives to those who are prepared to have a conversion. 

"If you come voluntarily and say, look, I have stolen some money and I am prepared to return the money, General Buhari would not say no to that. Returning the funds is a form of justice to Nigeria because those funds will now be available for the teeming population." 

Asked whether granting amnesty to those who are willing to return stolen funds was not a breach of criminal laws and justice, Dr Fayemi said that if Nigeria's processes and procedures are dealt with, this is a matter that could be looked at. He pointed out that enabling the judiciary to carry out its job independently is also a matter that an APC government would be taking seriously. 

“There would be a range of options for dealing with corruption but that does not mean that justice will not take its full course. General Buhari said he would not interfere with the judicial process and that if anyone is found guilty of malfeasance or corruption then that the law would take its course," Dr Fayemi added. 

There are fears that if every corrupt PDP official is tried and jailed, it will overwhelm Nigeria's judicial system and clog up the prison system. It could also paralyse the government as large numbers of civil servants and local government officials will fall under the axe.