Dear Advocate of Reasoning,
Welcome to another edition of our weekly newsletter, where we explore how Nigeria is taking strides towards reformative shifts.
Nigeria, although recognised as the giant of Africa, faces lots of problems, most of which emanate from dubious actions by supposed officials that are meant to uphold the law and manage the affairs of the country. Most of the problems that currently plague the nation are those that cause harm to its soul. In many ways, the questionable character of some of Nigeria’s public officeholders poses attacks on her mission to become an ideal society. One of our editorial interns, Shereefdeen Ahmad, shared in a piece the recent action of the current administration in dealing with one of its ministers and how it might be a reformative stride towards cleansing the infested system.
In history, Nigeria’s public officers were widely known as embezzlers of public funds, most of which were meant for vulnerable citizens. This is because of the way they recklessly handled funds that should have been invested in the development of the nation. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), an agency charged with the responsibility of enforcing all economic and financial crimes laws in Nigeria, interrogated many public officeholders in the past year. Most of these interrogations resulted in either arrest or removal from the office. The height of it was when the former governor of Nigeria’s apex bank, Godwin Emefiele, and the former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, were apprehended due to corruption allegations and abuse of office. The duo spent 151 and 100 days in detention, respectively.
The actions of the current administration have gone a long way toward nabbing public officeholders who represent the democratic system badly. Instances include the suspension and dismissal of former EFCC chairman Abdulrasheed Bawa and former CBN governor Godwin Emefiele. These actions are indicators that Nigeria is taking pivotal strides towards cleansing the infested system of bad eggs. The current suspension of the country’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu, shows that Nigeria is in fact taking reformative shifts.
The minister bagged the suspension on Monday, January 8, 2024, following a groundswell of opinions and controversies involving the transfer of N585.2 million into the private bank account of a civil servant—the accountant in charge of grants for vulnerable Nigerians.
However, blaming women for embezzlement based on their gender is unfounded and perpetuates harmful stereotypes. Embezzlement, like any crime, is an individual choice and cannot be attributed to gender.
For Betta Edu, her suspension does not only present a reformative system, but it also shows that the country is taking key strides in reconstructing the deteriorating democratic system. If the current administration continues with its reformative strides, the national image of the nation will improve, which will encourage foreign investments and in turn boost the economy.
As advocates of liberty, we urge the Nigerian government to enhance reformative steps toward improving its democratic system. Investment in anti-graft agencies is crucial to building an effective and transparent system that will be free of corruption. Furthermore, actions aimed at reforming relevant institutions and programmes in a determined bid to eliminate all institutional frailties should be encouraged. If the Nigerian democratic system will be free of corrupt officers, strict monitoring and robust legal punishments for offenders should be applied. Kindly delve more into this issue with us by further reading the piece here.
Thank you for reasoning with us and don’t forget to follow us on X (Twitter) at @liberalistmag for more updates.
(Adeboye Favour contributed to this newsletter.)
