It is no news that the United States government last week indicted the President Goodluck Jonathan led Federal Government of massive and widespread corruption. This was contained in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, which was released on Friday evening.In the report, the judiciary and security agencies and the Nigeria police, were said be lacking in transparency.
It read “The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption; however, the government did not implement the law effectively, and officials frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity. Massive, widespread, and pervasive corruption affected all levels of government and the security forces. The constitution provides immunity from civil and criminal prosecution for the president, vice president, governors, and deputy governors while in office.
“There was a widespread perception judges were easily bribed and litigants could not rely on the courts to render impartial judgments. Citizens encountered long delays and alleged requests from judicial officials for bribes to expedite cases or obtain favourable rulings.
The other issues raised with the administration included the fact that Police corruption has remained rampant the US government also listed the escape of the suspected mastermind of the Boko Haram 2011 Christmas Day bombing from custody, noting how the police commissioner, who aided the suspect went unpunished; the conviction of former Delta State governor James Ibori in the Southwark Crown Court in London of charges of money laundering and other financial crimes totalling N12.4bn, after he was acquitted by a Nigerian court; and the N1.067trn fuel subsidy fund lost to “endemic corruption and entrenched inefficiency” as some of the reasons for the indictment.
In an effort to redeem some of its lost pride, the President Goodluck Jonathan led administration on Monday reacted saying that the recent US appraisal of corruption in the country is “skewed and unrealistic”. President Goodluck further said that the level of graft, hitherto described by the US report as ‘massive’ is being blown out of proportion and does not reflect the efforts being made by his administration to tackle the issue, saying “there are issues of corruption in this country but somehow it has been over amplified.” Despite the Governments effort to tackle the classification by the United States Government, it is felt that the best way to show the seriousness of this administration is to put words to action, the President should be seen to be working rather than paying lip service and dwelling on temporal past glory, some of which include the believe that the power situation in the country is still the same now as it was in the earlier part of last year or the believe that with the amnesty programme, peace has finally returned to Nigeria. How he decides to play his cards is anyone guess