David Okoror, director general of African Diaspora Initiative, has joined the call for more funding of the ICPC instead of merging it with the EFCC. Ruth Choji was there for LEADERSHIP WEEKEND
What is African Diaspora Initiative all about?
African Diaspora Initiative is an organisation that was founded in 2003 and our objective has been to attract Nigerians in diaspora. We have lots of resources that can be used to develop our country, they can be influenced to come back, we have over 17 million Nigerian outside and every year, these Nigerians shave the capacity to remit an average of 12 million dollars to Nigeria. We thought that we need to galvanise these people properly for national development. Shortly after we started work, we found out that the greatest problem with Nigeria is corruption and bad governance, so we focused our attention on addressing these issues that are critical, since the commencement of our worked, we have work closely with the National Assembly, judiciary, international agencies, even with the President, to come up with policies like the ICPC law, money laundering laws, we supported these Acts so that we can better govern the country.
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You mentioned the ICPC and the EFCC, there have been calls by the attorney general for the two anti-graft bodies to be merged, do you support that?
I think the issue of merging does not arise, because ICPC has less than 600 staff to cover the entire country. Their total budget every year is less than three billion Naira, which means that it does not have the required prosecutors and other staff strength to carry out its function effectively. Another problem is that ICPC has been saddled with bad leadership; you have a law enforcement agency set up and you made a retired judged to oversee its affairs. I would say that, ICPC has become a place where retired judges go for their benefits. Most of their commissioners are old and it makes it look as if they were taking to ICPC for rehabilitation. So, what miracles do you expect from ICPC? The few staff there are ready to work, but the structures are not okay.
The drafters of ICPC Act never wanted it to succeed, because the law created a highly defective leadership and governance structure. How do you create a law enforcement institution and make a retired judge the executive head? This is much like appointing a retired judge to head the Nigeria Police Force. So, while the ICPC has the body of a bull dog, it has the head of a lamb. When the minister said they should merge the two, it is either he has ulterior motive or he was ill-advised. The law setting up ICPC is good, but the resources to run the place is absent. The legislative arm have done well In enacting or amending laws relating to the fight against corruption in Nigeria, but they have done little through the instrumentality of oversight to ensure the laws and appropriate funds are properly disbursed to achieve the very purpose for which they were made. The National Assembly is adequately empowered to help the cause of this crusade through an effective oversight regime and amendments of existing legislations. What EFCC needs urgently at the moment is a comprehensive review of its operations, system, internal governance, structure and leadership style.
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Don’t you think that merging them would solve some of these problems?
No, ICPC should be funded and staffed, ICPC and EFCC have different functions, EFCC is supposed to focus on financial and economic crimes while ICPC should focus on financial sector crimes. Merging them will stifle the anti- corruption crusade in this country.
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What kind of leadership are you now suggesting for ICPC?
Let me give you an example, the average age of a staff is 37 years, and they have had leaders like the last one that was 76 year-old or more. But thank God that the new chairman sent there is 46-year-old. When the former chairman retired, the federal government nominated another 73-year- old retired judge. We went to the National Assembly and fought it, and the Senate rejected the nomination, now the President appointed the lawyer who understands security problems, we think that it is a positive step. The only problems now in ICPC is funding. EFCC have an average of six billion each year and you give ICPC two billion, what will they achieve?
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Coming back to the 17 million Nigerians in the diaspora, would you say that government is doing enough to motivate them to come back and invest in Nigeria?
Government has not done that, our country is full of lip service, a country like China was developed by its citizen in the diaspora because they brought funds back home, they brought expertise and technology back home. India too is being developed by diaspora. If you go to any country in the world, you will see that they earn revenue and repatriate the resources. Such countries put in structures that will cater for the people. Israel and Japan are being developed by their citizens in diaspora. Like I said, Nigerians abroad remit about 12 billion dollars, if our government is serious, they would create avenues where these monies can be properly utilized. What stops them from setting up a diaspora funds account, and then set up a world class hospital, pharmacy, university and other basic amenities. These would encourage them to come home and invest more. But now, when people come back home, the first thing they are looking for is accommodation, I know friends of mine came back, stayed in the hotel and within a short time, their money is exhausted and they go back. Nigerians in diaspora can make a difference in this country if our government will be sincere.
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Nigeria has been going through one crises after another. From sectarian crises to kidnapping, armed robbery and other vices, what have Nigerians in the diaspora done to help the nation move forward?
The only thing they can do is to come and create more jobs through their investments. I know a lot of people that came back and wanted to work in hospitals. Take for example, you go to the National Hospital to work, and one day, you were in the middle of operation, PHCN takes light and you say , ‘Put on the generator, there is no diesel or fuel. A normal human being will run mad because you are helplessly watching a person die before your very eyes. The next thing is to take your bags and fly out to seek a better environment. So, government must address these issues so that our people can come home. Boko Haram is basically a social issue which government can address by creating employment. Let me give you an example, during the sale of shares, so many Nigerians in the diaspora bought a lot of shares. Suddenly, the companies collapsed. No one was compensated, so why should someone risk his money by coming to invest at home? Another thing is the kind of news you hear about Nigeria outside. A governor looted money or someone was killed another person and nothing was done, news like these do not encourage people to come and invest here.
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Nigerians are going to Ghana in their numbers to invest, what does this portray?
Ghana provides you with a better environment to invest your money. In Ghana, armed robbers will not come to your house to attack you, there are no kidnappers, and government officials will not tell you to bring money before you invest. Do you know that some Nigerians came home to offer medical care with their own money and one of the doctors was kidnaped? He went to his village to render free medical services and he was told to pay some money by government officials. How would they be encouraged to come home and invest?
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Would you say that this government is doing enough in fighting corruption?
No, if you notice, you realise that the President has not declared his assets. If he doesn’t do it, then his minsters and other key officials will not do. Even state governors have not declared their assets. The President is finding it hard to take difficult decisions, I like our President because he is a gentleman, but the time has come for him to roll his trousers and take difficult decisions. He should stop looking for the easy way out else four years will soon elapse and he will leave the nation the way he met it.
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With these indices, do you see Nigeria as a failed nation?
I love my country, and I believe we are a blessed nation but what is on ground are indices of a failed nation. We are spending over 75 per cent of the nation’s earning to service civil or public servants that are less than 35 per cent of our population. The remaining 25 per cent are stolen. How do you expect us to move forward? We have the same indices like Somalia, Afghanistan and other failed states. It is just that we have some semblance of leadership, they are failed because they are in war, but we are not in war, we got to this state through bad leadership and massive corruption.
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What suggestions would you offer government on ways to encourage Nigerians in diaspora to come and invest here?
The simple thing is good governance. If you tell people that you are going to Ghana, you are actually on your way to Ghana; not that on your way, you divert to another place. Everyday, government position somersault, we must get people to change their ways, but the President and the leadership must show the way, government must also be able to fight corruption. This means stepping on people toes. What we are seeing happening now is window dressing, almost three billion that we got during Obasanjo’s time cannot be accounted for. We cannot continue to fight corruption this way. President Goodluck must be willing to lead by example and show the way by holding people he has appointed accountable. Nigerians in the diaspora will not want to come and invest here.