A United States-based nongovernmental organisation, Human Rights Watch, has said that politics in Nigeria is mired in corruption and violence. It therefore called on the international community to deny visa to all corrupt politicians in Nigeria to curb the menace of corruption in the country.
In a 123-page report titled, “Criminal Politics: Violence, ‘Godfathers’ and Corruption in Nigeria,” on Tuesday, the group asked the Federal Government to sponsor an amendment to the 1999 Constitution that would remove the immunity clause from all criminal prosecutions currently enjoyed by sitting governors and their deputies.
It said, “Once in office, these politicians use their power to undermine basic human rights and enrich themselves at the expense of Nigeria’s impoverished populace.” The body lamented that corrupt politicians in Nigeria had hijacked the democratic process by turning elected offices into vehicles for political violence and corruption. It added that corrective measures should be taken urgently.
It said that the culture of corruption and violence had brought untold misery to millions of Nigerians who had suffered the cost of “dysfunctional governance.” The group said this manifested in loss of human lives to political violence, denial of participation in electoral process, gangsterism, insecurity and poverty.
The report was a product of a field research in eight states of the federation and Abuja.
This included interviews of prominent politicians, NGOs, public officials, “godfathers,” journalists, religious leaders, lawyers, victims of human rights abuse, cult groups and other stakeholders.
The state covered by the report are Anambra, Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Katsina, Lagos, Oyo and Rivers.
The report indicted the Nigerian political class, accusing it of causing crisis of governance by openly encouraging systemic violence through godfatherism, corruption and impunity at the expense of the general populace.
Addressing journalists on the report, a senior researcher of the African division of the HRW, Mr. Chris Albin Lackey, said “Nigeria’s foreign partners and the international community should deny visas to any Nigerian public official credibly implicated in systematic corruption or other serious criminal offences.
“By exerting this influence, the international community would be helping the country to move against the politics of selfishness and corruption launched on it by the corrupt political class.
“I believe Nigeria has a sizeable number of honest people who unfortunately have not been able to be at the helms of affairs.
“The Nigeria’s foreign partner should also exert influence on the Federal Government to take active steps to vigorously investigate, prosecute, and prevent political violence by politicians and their financial sponsors during the 2007 elections.”
Kayode Ketefe
The Punch
Wednesday, 10th October 2007
