Nigeria deserves stiffer sanctions for corruption – American activist

A senior associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and advocate of a corruption-free society, Sarah Chayes, has called on the United States to check the rising incidence of corruption in Nigeria by imposing stiffer sanctions on the country.

Chayes, who is an award-winning journalist and author, made the call in an article published in the Los Angeles Times on Friday. As at Sunday, the article, which attracted reactions from Nigerians and foreigners alike, had gone viral on the Internet.

In the piece, titled Nigeria’s in-your-face corruption may be fuelling Boko Haram terrorism, Chayes said the Nigerian economy had suffered a major setback since the United States refused to patronise its crude oil. Yet, the US, she argued, should move beyond rhetoric and ensure that Nigeria pays more for its corrupt tendencies.

For ethical and security reasons, Chayes urged the U.S. government to introduce more sanctions against Nigeria so as to compel the country’s leadership to take appropriate measures that will reduce corruption in the public sector.

Alleging that “millions of laundered dollars” were used to fund President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-election campaign, she regretted that, despite the fall in the price of oil, the country’s corrupt elite were still far from being sober.

Referring to the kerosene subsidy saga, she wondered why the government had chosen to continue to milk the economy dry through phoney programmes that had no positive impact on the people.

While many Nigerians agreed that corrupt practices among government officials had remained pervasive, and growing, she noted regretfully, sanctions were never enough to serve as a deterrent.

“US officials have begun speaking out about the threat posed by corruption. But actions have lagged behind words. The intelligence community does not systematically analyse corruption. The Foreign Service Institute, which trains U.S. diplomats, has no mandatory course on it. And sanctions are typically imposed only on countries that are already pariahs, such as Russia or North Korea,” she said.

Wondering what was still holding the U.S. when it no longer relied on Nigeria for energy need, the award-winning journalist urged President Barrack Obama to put the Nigerian government on its toes.

Chayes also frowned on America’s silence on the alleged missing funds from the Nigeria’s Federation Account.

“Regarding Nigeria, Washington continues to pledge counter-terrorism support without a public word to Jonathan about the missing billions, though the collapse of U.S. demand for oil puts American officials in a good position to exert leverage.

“Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, gets a regular Washington platform to paint rosy pictures of her country’s economy. The Petroleum Minister, Dieziani Alison-Maduake, has not been sanctioned, despite the gaps in the revenue she is supposed to be depositing in government coffers. And dodgy Nigerian banks retain correspondent relationships with U.S. counterparts,” she said.

Chayes also argued that the best way the U.S. could help Nigeria deal with the protracted insurgency is to help eradicate corruption, just as she urged the country to pay more attention to addressing the permissive style of its leadership.

But President Jonathan has maintained that his government has done enough to deserve re-election. In one of his campaign messages, for instance, he said he had fulfilled his promise to give the South East an international airport.

He pointed out Akanu Ibiam International Airport, where Ethiopian Airlines has been operating from, as the fulfilment of the promise that he made in 2011.

He said the government was working hard to attract other international carriers to the airport.

“International flights have been regular from that airport and, God willing, this will continue in perpetuity,” the President wrote on his Facebook page.

He continued, “People of the South East will no longer spend upwards of N50,000 on connecting flights to Port Harcourt, Lagos, Abuja or Kano before connecting internationally. We are working hard to encourage more airlines to originate their international route because of the high volume of traffic.

“This administration did not stop there. Knowing that the people of the South East are commercially inclined, we are also upgrading the Sam Mbakwe Airport Owerri, which has been designated an International Cargo Airport.”

Copyright PUNCH.