|
Listen to article
|
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has raised concerns about what he termed as “state capturing” in Nigeria, a deeply entrenched form of corruption where influential individuals and vested groups manipulate national policies and exploit resources for their personal gain.
In a pre-recorded video message presented at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum, which took place at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, Obasanjo outlined the far-reaching consequences of state capture, emphasizing its detrimental impact on the nation’s economy, governance, and public service infrastructure.
Delivering his keynote address, titled “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria,” the former President lamented the nation’s challenges, remarking, “As everyone can see and comprehend, the situation in Nigeria is critical.”
Though the socio-economic landscape of Nigeria may not appear encouraging, he noted that such circumstances do not close the door to the possibility of a more prosperous and optimistic future for the country.
According to Kehinde Akinyemi, the Special Assistant on Media to the former President, the 25-minute video, prepared for the forum, was recorded during the former President’s visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He explained that state capture refers to a situation where political figures, often supported by familial ties and business networks, exploit the nation’s wealth and exert influence over its legal and economic systems to further their personal interests.
Obasanjo pointed to the acquisition of national assets at bargained prices and the allocation of resources to select groups as clear examples of this phenomenon.
The former President, therefore, called for stringent measures, both locally and internationally, to prevent and eliminate such practices.
“State capture is not always overt and obvious,” Obasanjo said. “It can arise from the subtle alignment of business and political elites, creating a system where decisions no longer serve the public interest but benefit a specific group.
“What is happening in Nigeria – right before our eyes – is state capture: The purchase of national assets by political elites – and their family members – at bargain prices, the allocation of national resources – minerals, land, and even human resources – to local, regional, and international actors. It must be prohibited and prevented through local and international laws.
Read also: Obasanjo Declares He Is Not Affiliated With Any Political Party
“Public institutions such as the legislature, the executive, the judiciary, and regulatory agencies both at the federal and local levels are subject to capture.
“As such, state capture can broadly be understood as the disproportionate and unregulated influence of interest groups or decision-making processes, where special interest groups manage to bend state laws, policies, and regulations.
“They do so through practices such as illicit contributions paid by private interests to political parties, and for election campaigns, vote-buying, buying of presidential decrees or court decisions, as well as through illegitimate lobbying and revolving door appointments.
“The main risk of state capture is that decisions no longer take into consideration the public interest, but instead favour a specific special interest group or individual,” he added.
Obasanjo further said state capture could affect economic development, regulatory quality, provision of public services, quality of education and health services, infrastructure decisions and even the environment and public health.
He lamented that in Nigeria, “Laws, policies, and regulations are designed to benefit a specific interest group, oftentimes to the detriment of smaller firms and groups and society in general.”
Obasanjo lamented the reign of corruption in the country, adding that it undermined the integrity of democratic institutions and perpetuated inequality.
The former president said, “That’s the situation mostly in Nigeria in the reign of Baba-go-slow and Emilokan.
“The failing state status of Nigeria is confirmed and glaringly indicated and manifested for every honest person to see through the consequences of the level of our pervasive corruption, mediocrity, immorality, misconduct, mismanagement, perversion, injustice, incompetence and all other forms of iniquity. But yes, there is hope.”
The former President also reflected on Chinua Achebe’s critical work, “The Trouble with Nigeria,” which identifies leadership failure as the root cause of Nigeria’s challenges.
