"How can you single me out of thirty-six (36) governors for investigation? It-security vote is not something that any government will begin to disclose . Why should Benue's case be different if not persecution? If the EFCC wanted a genuine investigation of security vote spending, they should have started from the presidency and across the thirty-six states"-Governor Samuel Ortom, Executive Governor of Benue State, Nigeria. [Akpabio's Defection Puts Buhari's Anti-Corruption War Under Spotlight; Punch , Saturday, 11 August 2018]
Today our political leaders celebrate those who they accuse of embezzling the wealth of the nation as soon as they join their club, so who is deceiving who? What message does it send when politicians defect to the ruling party to claim immunity from corruption? We all know that the said security vote is illegal, how come it has now become subject to investigation?
According to Transparency International : ''Camouflaged Cash"- How Security Votes Fuel Corruption in Nigeria: "Security votes are opague corruption-prone security funding mechanisms widely used in Nigeria. A relic of Military Rule. Security vote in Nigeria is funds provided to Federal, State and Local Government Officials to "disburse at their discretion". Security vote spending is not subject to legislative oversight or independent audit because of its obstensibly sensitive nature".
The report found out that these some of these funds are "chanelled into political activities or embezzled outright".
A government that claims to fight corruption and change the way things are ought to embrace reform/restructuring to get rid of this so called security vote so that the funds will be used for better development projects including healthcare and education, internet/broadband, new seaports, etc, which will help reduce unemployment. The sum of $670 million dollar per-annum spent on security votes by the government can fund new seaports, internet/broadband and new industries that can create jobs for its growing population.
Instead of seeking to criminalise political opponents, the federal government must facilitate the process of restructuring the current political structure; a military conception that is the reason for inequality, stagnation and political instability in Nigeria. We have argued that any government that rejects the restructuring of the current political structure is the problem of the country not the solution.
This so called security vote also supports the arguement for the reform/restructuring of the current political structure that is 'wasteful, expensive and dictatorial'. In the words of Kathrine Dixon, Transparency International's director for defence and security; "the security vote is one of the most durable forms of corruption operating in Nigeria today". Click on this link to read the full report by Amnesty International on how security votes fuel corruption in Nigeria: http://ti-defence.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/DSP_Nigeria_Camouflage_Cash_Web2.pdf
Senator Ahmed Makarfi, former opposition PDP National Chairman said "The extent of corruption under APC will shock Nigerians when kicked out of power".
The time has come for people to ask important questions about the future instead of lending blind support to the same system that keep them in perpetual chains.
Uche Okeke is a Social Entrepreneur. He's the Founder of The LEAD Project Foundation.
No comments:
Post a Comment