National Day Essay: How to Field Nigeria’s First Eleven

“The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership”
-Chinua Achebe

Nigerians excel in all fields of endeavour… except perhaps in leadership. Why is this so? Why do we have so much bad governance? Why do we always seem to field our second eleven in leadership positions?

Godfatherism is the corruption of sponsoring candidates into public office for private benefit. Offices from the Presidency right down to the humble messenger in the Local Government office can be sponsored by godfathers. Once in office, the ‘public servant’ is effectively a private servant, serving his interests and those of his sponsors.

How does it work? A godfather uses his influence and money to place his proxies in public offices they are often unqualified for. Candidates for such offices are often neither the best available nor the most popular, indeed they are sometimes simply the worst candidates for the jobs.

Qualifications to be a Godfather’s Proxy.

• Timidity. A good proxy has to be pliable. Courageous people with a history of independence will usually stand up to the excessive demands of their sponsors. Godfathers need loyal lapdogs who will protect their interests, whatever the cost to the treasury.
• Corrupt. A proxy has to be corrupt and unprincipled enough to steal public funds to recoup the expenses the godfather has invested in him – with substantial ‘dividends’. Corruption is therefore the central qualification for a surrogate.
• Nepotistic. A good proxy has to be ready to make public appointments on parochial considerations. Godfathers who have captured public offices usually exercise the powers of appointment on behalf of their proxies. They names ministers and commissioners who have loyalty not to the nominal office holders, but to the godfathers. In this way the real controllers of state powers and funds are the unelected godfathers behind the scene.
• Compromised. In order to trust their proxies fully, godfathers usually have to have some leverage over them. This could be a history of illicit transactions or simply information that leaves the proxies open to blackmail, and therefore under the godfathers’ total control.

Implications of Godfatherism for Nigeria.

• The Best Man never gets the Job. From local, through state, to the federal government, from the legislature, through the executive, to the judiciary, people who compete for a job merely with excellent CVs will always lose out to those who arrive with a note – and sometimes bags of currency – from well-placed godfathers. Society is the net loser when national decisions are made by the less capable for the selfish interests of a few.
• Even Good People are Compromised. Sometimes, excellent candidates are forced to seek the help of godfathers in order to achieve public office. Unfortunately, once in office, their relationships with their godfathers effectively cripple their ability to perform well, or to operate ethically.
• Permanent Vacancy in Public Office. With ‘private servants’ in office, we have no true public servants: our public servants are so occupied in serving private interests that there is a palpable vacancy in governance. Even basic planning, organization, or anything unconnected with awarding contracts, is ignored. For instance, even when there are staff and materials available, something as simple as filling a pothole will not be done, until the entire expressway fails –.

The Solution.
What is required is a system that addresses the core plank of corruption, not a new agency or more draconian penalties.

• Godfathers usually get their paybacks through kickbacks and over-invoiced payments made through companies. The proposed Corporate Corruption Act (the Bribecode) shuts down that major conduit into the public treasury by making liquidation the only penalty for serious corporate corruption.
• Whisteblowers whose information leads to a conviction are rewarded with a percentage of the recovered assets. This guarantees that ‘secret’ deals don’t stay secret for ever.
• Furthermore, the godfather’s connections can no longer secure against prosecution because any of Nigeria’s 37 attorneys general can bring action to liquidate erring companies. The detailed provisions of the Bribecode are available at www.bribecode.org.

Impact of The Bribecode on Godfatherism.

• People will give politicians only what they can afford to donate, without hope of recouping their ‘investments’ or ‘dividends’. This cleans up political corruption, and releases Public Office holders to act according to conscience rather than at the command of sponsors.
• Less influence by unelected people on public projects and appointments to executive positions and state agencies…
• Without godfathers’ funds to subvert the electoral system, meritorious and popular candidates will begin to emerge in elective offices. Nigeria’s first eleven will finally turn up on the field of leadership.

The proposed Bribecode works together as a system to ensure that within one electoral cycle, ‘godfatherism’ as we know it will be a thing of the past. But, the Bribecode will not become law without your support. Visit www.bribecode.org/signup or text ‘I support Bribecode’ to 08178200382, with your name and Local Government. Do add ‘PVC’ if you have a voter’s card.

Happy Independence Day, Nigeria!

Team Bribecode