Corruption War: Lesson From South Africa

Mapisa-Nqakula 

 

South Africa's president and President of African National Congress (ANC) Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa recently docked three months of the defence minister's pay after she allowed governing party officials to fly on an air force plane to Zimbabwe with her on 9 September. Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was accused of misusing state resources for party political business. The defence force had argued she was on official business and had simply given the other passengers a lift. But President Cyril Ramaphosa called it an "error of judgement". 

Ms Mapisa-Nqakula had been travelling to Zimbabwe's capital Harare for a scheduled meeting to discuss regional issues. The delegation from South Africa's governing party - the African National Congress (ANC) - was meanwhile going there for crisis talks with Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party aimed at helping tackle the country's political and economic woes. 

But opposition politicians were extremely critical of the fact that she let the ANC delegation hitch a lift with her. Mr Ramaphosa, who in coming to power had pledged to clean up the ANC's reputation after a decade of corruption scandals, said that by giving the ANC delegates a lift on the plane, she had not acted "in the best interest of good governance". As a result, he said that he had decided to dock Ms Mapisa-Nqakula's pay, with the money going to a fund to help fight coronavirus.

In response, the opposition Democratic Alliance party said Mr Ramaphosa had not gone far enough, characterising the punishment as a slap on the wrist. Despite the opposition’s claim that the South African President had not gone far enough in punishing the erring minister, what the President did was commendable and a lesson for a country like Nigeria where it is very common for government officials to turn official properties for private use by families, friends and associates. 

Early this year, the daughter of President Muhammadu Buhari was accused of using the Presidential Jet to fly to Bauchi to do her personal business. At the time debate raged on social media following the decision of the President to allow his daughter, Hanan Buhari, to use the Presidential jet. This was despite complaints by Nigerians that the budget of N8.5billion for the Presidential jets in the 2020 budget is too high. Hanan, according to media report was conveyed by the Presidential jet to attend a Durbar in Bauchi. The President’s daughter, who is a graduate of Photography from Ravensbourne University, London, was said to have been invited by the Emir of Bauchi, Rilwanu Adamu, as a special

guest of honour. In photographs which went viral on social media, Hanan could be seen disembarking from the plane and being welcomed by Gombe State officials. It was gathered that the durbar was specially organised to avail the President’s

daughter of the opportunity to take photographs of the traditional durbar, Bauchi architecture and other cultural sites in the state. There was nothing wrong with a young lady pursuing her business, but to do so with Presidential Jet fuelled with tax payers money and specifically meant for the father in the course of performing his official function is not acceptable in decent societies where corruption is frown at in all ramifications. If the President had been in that jet at the time with his daughter, perhaps the furore that it raised would be unnecessary. 

Similarly, in most of our ministries and parastatals at state and federal levels, official vehicles are used to take children of public office holders and top civil servants to school, while the wives used it to go for shopping. This is against public service rule, but who cares in Nigeria of today! Since 1999 it has become the established tradition that the President uses his

office in the Presidential Villa to host his party leaders and hold purely political party meetings. It is not acceptable and wrong, but they do it anyway despite complaints by some Nigerian who saw the contradiction in most of these Presidents claim that they are fighting against corruption. The Independent National Electoral Commission [INEC] is constitutionally empowered to amongst others, register political parties and conduct elections in Nigeria. Donations to candidates and political parties and the identity of the donor must be disclosed to INEC. How many ruling parties in Nigeria have ever opened their books to INEC? Section 93 [1] of the Electoral Act 2010 provides that no political party shall accept or keep in its possession, an anonymous monetary or other contributions, gift, property etc. from any source whatsoever. Section 93 [3] of same Act provides that no political party shall accept any monetary or other contribution exceeding N100, 000 (One Hundred Thousand Naira) unless it can identify the source of the money or other contribution to INEC. In Nigeria, there is a limit on the amount an individual can donate to a candidate. 

Section 91 [9] of the Electoral Act provides that no individual or other entity shall donate more than one million naira to any candidate. It is an offence punishable by fine or terms of imprisonment to contravene the law. Any accountant who falsifies or aids or conspires with the candidate to forge or falsify document relating to expenditure is also liable. Section 90[1] of the Electoral Act says that INEC shall have power to place limitation on the amount of money or other asset, which an individual or group of persons can contribute to a political party but the electoral body is yet to set any limitation. However, section 93 [2] [b] of the Electoral Act provides that any person or entity who donates to a political party which exceeds N1million must be recorded in the party’s account and assets book. Likewise, there is a limit to the amount of money the candidate and political party can spend during the election and it is an offence to exceed the limit.

Whatever the Electoral Act says about limits to campaign funding appears to mean little to either INEC that is supposed to enforce it or the politicians who are supposed to abide by the law. In fact a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is now being touted for President in 2023, had bullion van allegedly full of cash in his compound during the 2019 general election, which was obviously to buy votes, and there was no consequences for his action either from INEC or Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) or the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Nigerian politicians would continue to romance corruption under we have leaders who are committed to change the narrative!