Lai’s looter’s list is a re-election appeal that will not work

The Federal Government has released 23 names who it claims were looters of the treasury under the Goodluck Jonathan PDP government.

The list, a follow-up to a “teaser List” published before, includes former NSA Sambo Dasuki, former Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke and former Army chiefs Kenneth Minimah and Azubuike Ihejirika. As was published by Premium Times, the Government’s release of the list is to show that the massive looting under the PDP was not April Fool. In the words of Minister Mohammed, “the hysterical and panicky reaction from the PDP has shown that the
party is not at all sincere about its choreographed apology”.

Instead of reacting with tantrums to the teaser list, he said the PDP should have followed the steps of former deputy Senate President Ibrahim Mantu who confessed his involvement in the rigging of elections and has “owned up to his role”. (The PDP has distanced itself from Mantu’s revelations, saying whatever he may have done was for himself, not the party).

Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s list contains figures of amounts allegedly stolen by the supposed looters and, where applicable, the amount so far recovered by the government. None of the 23 has been so far convicted of any of the allegations against them and there are less than 12 months before the next general elections. Hence, it is hard to see past the release of the list as a play for the coming polls.

There is no shock or stunning effect to be expected from the list, to the extent that most of the names are already in the public consciousness on suspicions or counts of alleged misappropriation. With the exception of the former NSA, they all are free men and women, amongst them serving senators Stella Oduah and Jonah Jang. Unless the government announces that it has actually won a case in court, publishing a looter’s list only amounts to a gimmick targeted at tuning voters into a mode to extend their stay in office.

But the contrary could be the result. Nigerians are not unaware of the members of the APC who have been in public discourse for corruption too, the Senate President Bukola Saraki being the most notable. Senator Saraki was, of course, one of the members of the PDP who formed the ruling party in 2014. It should imply that whatever accusations of looting directed to the PDP, in general, cannot but include those who now occupy top positions in the APC.

There would have been some praise for its anti-corruption efforts if the Federal Government was making any progress on tackling its own people. But it isn’t; until it does, lists of corrupt persons will only tune people out.

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