Nigeria: Corruption at a tolerable level -President Jonathan

September 30, 2013 olasope01

President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday held a media chat, where he responded to questions from journalists and Nigerians on social media on various national issues from Power, Insecurity, Corruption, 2015 elections to cost of governance among others.The President claim that corruption in the country was still at a tolerable level despite several corruption allegations against officials especially people in his administration. He said his administration was winning the war against corruption, and that the perception people had about corruption in Nigeria was unnecessarily exaggerated.

“Perception is different from reality,” the president said, about the Transparency International. According to Mr. Jonathan, TI’s corruption rating was a Corruption Perception Index.

The president argued that the global perception about Nigeria’s corruption was influenced by continuous Nigerian media reports and those by civil society groups in the country.

Among the unresolved corruption cases facing the Jonathan administration is its handling of the Malabu $1.1 billion scandal.

The Jonathan administration approved the transfer of the money to Malabu, a company controlled by convicted money launderer, Dan Etete, in 2011, as payment for an oil block Mr. Etete fraudulently acquired from Nigeria.

The transfer occurred despite that Nigeria’s main anti-corruption agency, the EFCC, was already investigating Malabu for registration fraud and despite Mr. Etete’s earlier conviction in France.

The money was later transferred by Mr. Etete to other dubious accounts including those owned by a politician with links to Mr. Jonathan, Abubakar Aliyu.

The president’s claim also came despite the massive corruption in the petroleum sector supervised by the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison- Madueke.

At least N300 billion was fraudulently collected as subsidy by petroleum marketers in 2011, with active connivance of petroleum ministry officials. Several reports, including the one submitted by a presidential committee and the House of Representatives revealed the unprecedented level of corruption in the sector, with many Nigerians wondering why Mrs. Alison-Madueke remains in office.

Mr. Jonathan, however, said most of the reports on corruption in the oil industry were not factual.

“I’m not saying there is no corruption in the petroleum sector,” he added.

The president also admitted that corruption was not the major issue of concern among foreign investors; saying some investors recently listed corruption as the third most important challenge they face in doing business in Nigeria.

“We are interested in making sure that there is no free money for you to steal,” Mr. Jonathan said.

While addressing the slow pace of some corruption trials by the courts, the president said he would not interfere in the running of separate arms of government.

“As a president you cannot gag the judiciary… you must allow the judiciary to be independent,” he said.