Don Urges Reinforcement of Institutional Framework for Anti-Corruption Agencies

A University Don, Professor Salisu Ogbo Usman, has advocated for the strengthening of the anti-corruption institutional framework that will insulate the Executive from total control of the anti-corruption agencies.

This is just as he suggested, the introduction of the African traditional oath-taking system, before colonial intrusion, that has proved to be one of the most effective deterrents against corruption, as violations attracted immediate and often intergenerational consequences in contrast to the contemporary oath-taking system—anchored in imported religion that deferred accountability to the hereafter.

Professor Usman submitted the 37th Inaugural lecture of Federal University Lokoja, held inside the University auditorium, Adankolo campus in Lokoja.

The erudite professor of political Science, in his paper titled ‘Corruption Versus Corruption: Unpacking the Wuru-Wuru of Anti-Corruption Crusade in Nigeria, lamented at the weak institutional framework of the anti corruption agencies, such as EFCC, Code of Conduct Bureau & Tribunal (CCB/CCT), Public Complaints Commission, NDLEA & NAFDAC, Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), War Against Indiscipline & Corruption (WAIC), Commissions of Inquiry, National Orientation Agency (NOA), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) which are under the firm grips of the Executive arm of the government, with its attendance consequences of selective justice.

He noted that the financial independence of the citizenry has weakened the social contract and reduced accountability to citizens.

Professor Usman, who is also the Rector of Kogi State Polytechnic, decried the Ineffective oversight which allows illicit activities of Oil theft and illegal bunkering.

Protection rackets involving corrupt officials and security personnel flourish.

He added that. Chronic Scarcity of living essentials, including clean water, high cost of living, and necessities of lives has become “democracy dividends” used for political leverage.
According to his paper, he identified stiff competition among citizens to access scarce resources of the state, which has given impetus to the citizenry to outsmart each other at the detriment of the general benefits.
He explained that the growing spirit of materialism and craze for wealth in society has led many to engage in unwholesome behaviours, and as society modernises, emphasis shifts from ascribed status to achieved status, often through corrupt means.

According to him, everyday corruption goes in a circle as even the “Market women who adjust the bottom of measuring plates to cheat their numerous customers refer to elected and appointed officials as ‘thieves’. To the roadside mechanic who makes a booming business from connivance… civil servants are ‘pen robbers.’

In fact, Police personnel who obtain the ‘normal’ hundred naira at the checkpoint believe that their wives are cheats, even as everyone points accusing fingers at the other.”

“…hospital where the nurses require a fee from every in-patient before the prescribed medicine is given, and even the ward servants must have their ‘dash’ before bringing the bed-pan; it is known to be rife in the Police Motor Traffic Unit… pay clerks make a deduction from the wages of daily paid staff; produce examiners exact a fee from every bag that is graded and sealed; domestic servants pay a proportion of their wages to the senior of them…”

He said, unless drastic measures are applied, Nigerians who have been neck deep into Wuru-Wuru, a pidgin word for cutting corners, exploiting loopholes, using tricks, or applying underhand tactics to achieve an outcome at the expense of fairness, transparency, or due process, would consume the very foundation of our nationhood.

“The anti-corruption crusade can be described as ‘a bigger pot describing the darkness of the smaller pots’”. It highlights the performative nature of campaigns where accusers are often as guilty as the accused.

The public figures who publicly abhor immorality during the day only to engage in it privately at night. This lip-service undermines genuine institutional reform”

He said, despite the avalanche of anti-corruption. agencies, corruption thrives due to the politicisation of anti-corruption agencies targeting opponents and the introduction of plea bargaining as escape routes for the wealthy.

He stated that for the nation to break away from the circle of corruption, its efforts should extend beyond performative campaigns; shift focus from targeting individuals to systemic reform and prevention; Strengthen institutions through genuine autonomy, transparency, checks and balances, and taxation-based accountability to reduce reliance on resource rents.

*Diversify the economy to create productive opportunities outside the state sector, coupled with equitable distribution of resources to reduce desperation. Prioritise ethical reorientation and civic values restoration to rebuild the moral compass of society across all strata.

“We must reject ‘Wuru-Wuru’ and ‘Paddy-paddy’ arrangements. As Fela Kuti and African China sang, and as holy books admonish, true change requires sincerity, not just rhetoric. The ‘Beautiful Ones’ must be born now.” He warned.

Professor Usman Ogbo however, said all is not lost, if, an urgent need to mobilize civil society at all levels to exert sustained pressure on the polity to pursue constitutional review and amendments that introduce capital punishment, including the death penalty, as a deterrent against corruption and corrupt practices, citing the people’s Republic of China who retain capital punishment within their criminal justice systems, even as the establishment of dedicated Centres or Institutes for the Study of Corruption within Nigerian universities, will curb the scale and pervasiveness of corruption in the country.

Earlier, in his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor Professor AkinwumiOlayemi stated that Inaugural lectures occupy a unique and honoured place in the tradition of a university, which provides professors the opportunity to share the fruits of years of teaching, research and reflection.

He noted that Inaugural lectures allow the university to present its intellectual strength to the public. more importantly, helps to bridge the gap between the classroom and the wider society by translating scholarship into insight that can inform policy, practice and personal conviction.

According to him, “Today, we are privileged to have one of our own, Professor Salisu Ogbo Usman, deliver this 37th lecture in the series. The title of his lecture is “Corruption Versus Corruption: Unpacking the Wuru-Wuru of Anti-Corruption Crusade in Nigeria.

” Indeed, If there is any time we need a lecture of this nature, it is now. Our nation continues to wrestle with the challenge of corruption, and equally with the contradictions that often surround the fight against it.

“The theme before us speaks directly to our lived realities. It invites us to look beyond slogans and headlines, and to examine the structures, motives and practices that shape our anti-corruption efforts.

More importantly, it reminds us that the fight against corruption is not the duty of the government alone. As a University and as academics, we must be ready and committed to contribute our quota to nip corruption in the bud.
While appreciating the guests for taking time out of their busy schedules, said their continued presence and unwavering support are a great encouragement to the University.