No Genuine Fight against Corruption
No Genuine Fight against Corruption
UNBANNING OF 113 OIL VESSELS ACCUSED OF STEALING CRUDE OIL SHOWS THE LIMITATION OF BUHARI’S FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION
SPN DEMANDS AN OPEN AND DEMOCRATICALLY CONSTITUTED PANEL TO PROBE THE OIL SECTOR AND BRING LOOTERS TO JUSTICE
The Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) condemns the unbanning of 113 oil vessels earlier banned for alleged high level stealing of crude oil from 27 terminals in Nigeria territorial waters without the government prosecuting the owners of the vessels. Through a memo dated July 15, 2015, the Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Gbenga Komolafe, had conveyed the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari to all terminal operators and relevant government agencies banning 113 vessels accused of stealing crude oil.
After 2 months of the ban, President Buhari backed down and allowed the return of the affected vessels into business of lifting crude oil. According to the Guardian newspaper dated September 11, 2015, “LESS than 24 hours after the United States authorities warned Nigeria’s leadership against shutting out foreign competitors, President Muhammadu Buhari has lifted the ban on 113 vessels from engaging in crude oil/gas loading activities in any of the terminals within the nation’s territorial waters”.
This clearly shows the limited and selective nature of the anti-corruption crusade of President Buhari and the influence of corrupt imperialist and multinationals on government at all levels. Nigerians expected that the owners of the vessels would have been arrested, prosecuted and if found guilty, proscribed from doing business in the country and seizure of their investment.
It also shows that most of these big businesses are not only corrupt but they also collaborate with corrupt top public officials and security personnel to undermine the interest of the vast majority. This is not a surprise since the All Progressive Congress (APC) and President Buhari rely on big business to run society and cannot challenge this present exploitative and unfair arrangement. Hence, no meaningful fight against corruption can be achieved under a corrupt-ridden capitalist system. The government can feign commitment to anti-corruption fight by arresting and arraigning few corrupt public officials in court. In reality this is usually selective and with no seriousness of fighting corruption.
The SPN has always argued that corruption can only be holistically fought when society is run transparently and democratically by the working class and the poor with the aim of meeting the needs of all. The working masses must begin the political struggle for a genuine change by building a mass working people political party to transform the country along socialist lines. If genuine change is not achieved, not only that the interest of the working masses will be undermined, the anti-corruption battle will as usual remain a smokescreen.