Nigeria is said to have entered a new era after former President Muhammadu Buhari, commonly known as Baba Go Slow, stepped down and handed over the reins to his close friend, Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu, who is 71 years old, assumed office on May 29, 2024, promising to transform Nigeria and fight corruption – the country’s biggest problem.
On his inauguration day, Tinubu announced the removal of fuel subsidies without any plans to mitigate the impact on Nigerians. This removal has led to an increase in hardship for Nigerians, with bottleneck inflation.
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Under Tinubu’s administration, the exchange rate of Nigeria’s currency to the British pound is over N2,000, which is a challenge for a country dependent on foreign produce.
Nigerians struggle to afford basic necessities such as food, fuel and water, yet the national minimum wage remains N30,000.
Nigeria is the most populated black nation in Africa, and corruption is its biggest enemy, from the federal level down to the state level. Corruption has become the norm, spreading to the lowest levels.
For instance, police officers are often seen collecting bribes on the street, and less than 1% of them are punished, usually after public outrage on social media.
Buhari, Tinubu’s predecessor, introduced a whistleblowing policy on December 21, 2016, through the Federal Ministry of Finance.
This policy encouraged people to voluntarily disclose information about fraud, bribery, looted government funds, financial misconduct, government assets and any other form of corruption or theft. The whistleblower who provides information is entitled to 2.5% of the recovered funds as an incentive.
However, a survey published in 2021 showed that the majority of Nigerians see corruption as a significant problem, but one-quarter of the respondents are unwilling to report any form of corruption.
The survey titled “Survey on 5 years of whistleblowing policy in Nigeria,” was conducted and published by the African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL).
It showed that three out of four respondents have stopped reporting cases of looted funds due to fear of victimization or because they believe that authorities do not provide proper channels to make a report or take action against the suspects.
There is no law protecting whistleblowers in Nigeria except the enticement to get 2.5% of the recovered funds. Most of the time, the whistleblower is on the run and has no time to claim the money. In some cases, the government refused to pay as promised.
Tinubu’s first challenge is the 2024 budget, which has sparked debate about the Nigerian government’s commitment to punishing corrupt officials.
Nigerian Senator Abdul Ningi, who represents Bauchi Central, was suspended for three months after revealing that the 2024 budget was padded by over N3 trillion.
Ningi criticized the budget, saying it caused significant damage to the North and the entire country.
He was never asked to provide evidence of his claim, nor was a committee set up to investigate the padding allegation.
However, his colleagues suspended him for speaking out, calling it a breach of peace.
Clearly, under Tinubu’s government, Nigeria is expected to face the same disappointment as the previous administration, as another political gangster promised to fight corruption.
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