Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has warned that Nigeria cannot achieve meaningful development as long as corruption continues to thrive.
Obasanjo spoke at the public presentation of “Unexplained Wealth in Nigeria: Law, Prosecution and the Recovery of Illicit Assets,” in Lagos, on Monday.
The book was authored by a lawyer and lecturer at the University of Lagos, Dr Wahab Shittu, SAN.
The former President shared his personal experience in the fight against corruption and reflected on the establishment of anti-corruption institutions in Nigeria.
He said corruption was fundamentally incompatible with development.
“One big handicap to development is corruption. Corruption and development are strange bedfellows. They can’t go together,” he said.
Obasanjo traced his involvement in the anti-corruption campaign to his years in the military, where he said he had served at different times as a military prosecutor and member of a court martial dealing with corruption-related issues.
He said his commitment to the cause deepened after leaving office as military head of state and becoming a farmer, when he was approached by Peter Eigen, a former World Bank official who later founded Transparency International.
According to Obasanjo, Eigen’s experience at the World Bank had exposed him to what he described as “grand corruption,” particularly the diversion of funds from international loans.
He recalled that he and Eigen subsequently established Transparency International, with Eigen serving as chairman and Obasanjo as chairman of its advisory council.
While in office as democratically elected President, Obasanjo said his experience with Transparency International influenced his decision to make the fight against corruption a priority.
He said the organisation provided him with a model anti-corruption law which was subsequently adapted into Nigerian law and became the basis for establishing the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Obasanjo said the bill initially faced resistance in the National Assembly.
“They said to me that if they pass the bill as I gave it to them, most of them will end up in prison,” Obasanjo said.
He said it took the lawmakers 18 months to pass the legislation.
Obasanjo added that, after the passage of the ICPC law, he established the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to strengthen the fight against corruption.
According to him, corruption disproportionately affects poor people by worsening their economic circumstances.
“Those who suffer most in a corrupt society are the poorest. And it makes them poorer,” he said.
He described corruption in various forms, including unexplained wealth and illicit funds, as “antisocial,” “anti-development” and “anti-progress.”
Obasanjo added that: “It is not in the best interest of any country or any human organisation.”
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