NIGERIA
The Trouble with Graft
In 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari became the first opposition candidate to defeat an incumbent at the ballot box in Nigeria, thanks to a pledge to root out corruption. But two years on, internecine battles are hampering the big fight.
Earlier this month, armed secret policemen stopped the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from arresting former National Intelligence Agency chief Ayodele Oke – whom Buhari sacked for stashing $43 million in cash in his wife’s apartment, Bloomberg reported.
But that’s just the latest in a string of incidents that have raised questions about Buhari’s war on corruption – which has again and again been plagued by inter-agency rivalry. Ibrahim Magu, Buhari’s pick to head the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, has himself been rejected twice by the legislature based on state security police reports of alleged prior wrongdoing.
Critics say the anti-graft campaign has focused on Buhari’s opponents and ignored his supporters. A former defense minister under Buhari’s predecessor, for instance, saw a case accusing him of receiving $13 million in slush funds quashed just before his defection to Buhari’s party.
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