My position is that whoever mismanages funds meant for internally displaced persons should be treated as a terrorist. Apart from the element of corruption it portrays, such a person, by his action, has endangered internal security that is capable of producing far-reaching consequences. It should be thoroughly investigated to determine the degree of involvement and innocence of suspects by a system that will give fair hearing.
It is something that ought to be taken seriously by the authorities because the funds are meant for the victims of terrorism, who have been displaced from their homes and deprived of their means of livelihoods. The resources for the rehabilitation of such people need to be judiciously expended in line with the philosophy of transparency and accountability.
This sad development means those IDPs might create refugee problem and it can also lead to popular uprising against the authorities, apart from hunger, poverty and underdevelopment. It is also capable of portraying the country in a negative light before the international community, if the matter is not properly investigated and the culprits are not brought to book.
The government should set up a panel of inquiry and arrest all those, who are involved in it (in the mismanagement of the IDP funds). It is wrong. What they are doing to the IDPs is beyond ordinary crime. To steal from those who are in anguish is illegal.
It is the height of immorality. All the perpetrators should be arrested and tried immediately. This is moral debauchery. It is not only the law that should punish those who steal the relief materials of the displaced, God should also punish them.
If the government does not feel enraged about this, I will be completely scandalised. They (perpetrators) should be punished with jail terms prescribed by the Penal Code if found guilty. It is not only theft but also a breach of trust. It shows how low we have sunk in this country. It shows the heartlessness of those who are put in the position of authority. They are heartless thieves. If we are to classify those involved in this act, they belong to malevolent thieves; not benevolent thieves.
Those who mismanaged the funds meant for the IDPs have committed a crime against humanity. They should be treated like Boko Haram members. It is worrisome that people can be so sadistic to the extent of milking people, who escaped from the throes of death. As a matter of fact, those in the IDP camps could have been killed by Boko Haram members, but they barely escaped.
When one is left within the pangs and pains of hunger, starvation, sickness and misery, this is the most harrowing experience that one can have. Basically, the authorities should apprehend those behind this and those who are supposed to supervise the funds. They should be diligently tried and adequately punished. If they are not punished, others will think it is one of those things they can do and get away with. They should spend their days behind bars. It is wickedness of the highest order.
This allegation and such other allegations concerning the functionaries of the government shouldn’t be treated with levity. They ought to be investigated not necessarily by a committee specially set up by the President. You cannot be setting up committees to investigate every allegation. There are substantive agencies like the Department of State Services and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, among others. When an allegation like this is made in the media, there should be a mechanism in government by which such a matter floating in the media could be tackled. The matter should be referred to any of these agencies in order to establish the veracity of the allegation or otherwise.
If government does that, it gains. Not only that it gains by showing that it is conducting government business in a transparent manner with accountability and probity, but it also demonstrates by that reference that it is not shielding any of its functionaries. And if the allegation is found to be false, government will get a kind of credit; people will believe it. But when you don’t take any action, it makes people to start guessing and makes them come to a conclusion that perhaps, there is more to it than meets the eye.
Finally, if the official concerned is found to be corrupt by the investigating agencies, government also gains, because it means that the anti-corruption agenda of the government cannot be derailed. It means such a person cannot be entrusted with money bigger than the alleged N270m (spent on the cutting of grass in the IDP camps).
For me as an individual, it (the mismanagement) is something that is not acceptable and it is an issue that the Federal Government needs to investigate properly. It does not make sense to say we are fighting corruption if we fail to fight the ongoing corruption in the IDP camps. In the last administration, we had arms scam, when people looted a lot of funds. Now, we have a situation, whereby people are using the IDP camps to loot lots of funds. If the President has been informed that over N270m was used to cut grass in IDP camps and he is not making any remark on that, it means the war against corruption is practically a sham. Does that mean corruption is only against those who are not part of the present administration?
People should not be using human misery to make money. We must stand up against it. It is very unfortunate. And the fact that it is ongoing under an administration that is spearheading the war against corruption makes it even more absurd. It shows that there is no seriousness towards the fight against corruption. It also signifies that our institutions need to be strengthened. If our institutions are strengthened, we should be able to investigate anyone, any time, any day, including the President. The immunity that the President, governors and their deputies have only means that they can’t be arrested; it doesn’t mean they can’t be investigated.
In the eyes of the world, we are like a laughing stock whereby, we say we are fighting corruption but we have this massive corruption that is taking place. It also sends confusing signals to people about the initial body language that corruption would be fought holistically but now the fight is restricted to certain people. It shouldn’t be seen that way. The government also needs to fight the wave of corruption across the country right now, so that it is not left for the next administration to do that on its behalf.
The managers of these camps are Nigerians and I know that most investors are not finding Nigeria safe since the fight against corruption has started. Corruption is so bad to the extent that even a child knows what a kickback is. However, the managers of IDP camps should also feel the impact of the searchlight of our security agencies.
Let the law take its full course against the perpetrators. We should take away sentiments in this fight and damn whatever impression the international community may have about us. This is our country; we already have a bad image and we must do all we can to change the notion. Change must begin with us as individuals.
Compiled by: Afeez Hanafi
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