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."