Nigeria deserves stiffer sanctions for corruption – American activist

A senior associate of the Carnegie Endowment for
International Peace and advocate of a corruption-
free society, Sarah Chayes, has called on the
United States to check the rising incidence of
corruption in Nigeria by imposing stiffer sanctions
on the country.
Chayes, who is an award-winning journalist and
author, made the call in an article published in the
Los Angeles Times on Friday. As at Sunday, the
article, which attracted reactions from Nigerians
and foreigners alike, had gone viral on the Internet.
In the piece, titled Nigeria’s in-your-face
corruption may be fuelling Boko Haram terrorism,
Chayes said the Nigerian economy had suffered a
major setback since the United States refused to
patronise its crude oil. Yet, the US, she argued,
should move beyond rhetoric and ensure that
Nigeria pays more for its corrupt tendencies.
For ethical and security reasons, Chayes urged the
U.S. government to introduce more sanctions
against Nigeria so as to compel the country’s
leadership to take appropriate measures that will
reduce corruption in the public sector.
Alleging that “millions of laundered dollars” were
used to fund President Goodluck Jonathan’s re-
election campaign, she regretted that, despite the
fall in the price of oil, the country’s corrupt elite
were still far from being sober.
Referring to the kerosene subsidy saga, she
wondered why the government had chosen to
continue to milk the economy dry through phoney
programmes that had no positive impact on the
people.
While many Nigerians agreed that corrupt practices
among government officials had remained
pervasive, and growing, she noted regretfully,
sanctions were never enough to serve as a
deterrent.
“US officials have begun speaking out about the
threat posed by corruption. But actions have
lagged behind words. The intelligence community
does not systematically analyse corruption. The
Foreign Service Institute, which trains U.S.
diplomats, has no mandatory course on it. And
sanctions are typically imposed only on countries
that are already pariahs, such as Russia or North
Korea,” she said.
Wondering what was still holding the U.S. when it
no longer relied on Nigeria for energy need, the
award-winning journalist urged President Barrack
Obama to put the Nigerian government on its toes.
Chayes also frowned on America’s silence on the
alleged missing funds from the Nigeria’s
Federation Account.
“Regarding Nigeria, Washington continues to
pledge counter-terrorism support without a public
word to Jonathan about the missing billions,
though the collapse of U.S. demand for oil puts
American officials in a good position to exert
leverage.
“Nigeria’s Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-
Iweala, gets a regular Washington platform to paint
rosy pictures of her country’s economy. The
Petroleum Minister, Dieziani Alison-Maduake, has
not been sanctioned, despite the gaps in the
revenue she is supposed to be depositing in
government coffers. And dodgy Nigerian banks
retain correspondent relationships with U.S.
counterparts,” she said.
Chayes also argued that the best way the U.S.
could help Nigeria deal with the protracted
insurgency is to help eradicate corruption, just as
she urged the country to pay more attention to
addressing the permissive style of its leadership.
But President Jonathan has maintained that his
government has done enough to deserve re-
election. In one of his campaign messages, for
instance, he said he had fulfilled his promise to
give the South East an international airport.
He pointed out Akanu Ibiam International Airport,
where Ethiopian Airlines has been operating from,
as the fulfilment of the promise that he made in
2011.
He said the government was working hard to
attract other international carriers to the airport.
“International flights have been regular from that
airport and, God willing, this will continue in
perpetuity,” the President wrote on his Facebook
page.
He continued, “People of the South East will no
longer spend upwards of N50,000 on connecting
flights to Port Harcourt, Lagos, Abuja or Kano
before connecting internationally. We are working
hard to encourage more airlines to originate their
international route because of the high volume of
traffic.
“This administration did not stop there. Knowing
that the people of the South East are commercially
inclined, we are also upgrading the Sam Mbakwe
Airport Owerri, which has been designated an
International Cargo Airport.”