7 WAYS PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN HAS FOUGHT CORRUPTION BY OBI CHINOMSO P.

  

 

 

These days, I hear people say that president Jonathan has done “nothing” to fight corruption in Nigeria. When I hear this, 2 things come to my mind. It’s either… They don’t know the truth or… They are lying For Nigeria to “beat” 8 countries to become the 136th most transparent country in the world is not accident. It happened for a reason. Below are 7 things the Nigerian President did to reduce corruption… 1. 40 Years Of Corruption In The Agricultural Sector Ended Within 90 Days Before President Jonathan (and his team) came on board, this was how fertilizers and seeds were distributed to government (and farmers)… - Fertilizer and seed suppliers will collect money from the government - Some bagged and supplied sands; others supplied under sized bags. Seed suppliers bought grains from the market and supply as seedlings. As a result, their supplies were useless. They collected government money and supplied fake products. To make matters worse, distribution was another problem. If the government gives distributors fertilizers and seeds to share to farmers for free, they’ll sell it. So how did President Jonathan solve the problem? Common phone. Yes! COMMON PHONE. The federal government distributed e-wallet installed phones to farmers. And how did these phones do the magic? Simple! Instead of getting supplies from the suppliers, the federal government pays the money directly into the farmers’ phone. The farmers buy the fertilizers themselves – after all, they know the original and fake fertilizers better – It’s their line of business. The Result? N50 billion Naira has been blocked from fertilizer money thieves. Also, local farmers started producing in full capacity. As a result, Nigeria has saved more than N700 billion on food import. Sources: Punch - Phones Stop Corruption In Fertilizer Sector The Nigerian Voice - President Jonathan Ended 40 Years Of Corruption In Agric Sector The Sun - Nigeria Loses N776bn To Corruption In Fertilizer Sector 2. President Jonathan Organized The Freest, Fairest And Most Peaceful And Credible Elections EVER “Electoral corruption is the mother of all corruptions” – President GoodLuck Jonathan When President Jonathan was sworn in as the acting president in 2010, he vowed to fight electoral corruption to a stand-still. How did he go about it? - He enacted electoral laws and guidelines that were beyond manipulation - He created an electoral system that is manned by qualified, competent and efficient personnel - He conducted free, fair and credible elections The Result? Governorship elections were acclaimed by both local and international observers and free, fair and credible in… - Edo state - Ondo state - Anambra state - Ekiti state - Osun state In these 5 elections, only 1 was won by the president’s party (A.k.a the ruling party), the PDP. The major opposition the APC won in 2 states and 2 other parties APGA and LP won the other 2. As a result, the confidence of most Nigerians in the electoral process has increased dramatically. No wonder more Nigerians are now interested in getting the permanent voters card. Sources: Today's Zaman - New Nigerian Leader Jonathan Sworn In, Pledges Electoral Reform Point Blank News - President Goodluck Jonathan’s Administration’s War On Corruption Vanguard - Gains of electoral reforms 3. 60,000 “GHOST” Workers Exposed Between 2007 – 2010, the federal government built a new system for paying salaries, the IPPIS system. In 2012, President Jonathan (and his team) took it a step further. They used it to expose “ghost” workers. By October 2014, they’ve discovered over 60,000. For years, these fake workers has been collectively carting away N160 billion every year. Impressively, the case has been transferred to ICPC for further investigation and prosecution. Sources: Leadership - FG Uncovers 60,000 Ghost Workers 4. N1.4 Trillion Worth Of Public Sector Theft Blocked Through Import-Waiver Reforms What’s import waiver? Simple! It’s the tax (A.k.a import duty) that the government removes on economic boosting goods – goods that boost the economy. Eg. Raw materials, machinery and spare parts. Before Jonathan (and his team) came in, corrupt public officers heavily abused this system. They gave and received waivers on unapproved goods. Between 2011 – 2013, over N1.4 Trillion was lost. As a result, the importers whom the waiver was meant for hardly got it. With the Jonathan reform in the sector, loopholes have been blocked. Sources: New Telegraph - Okonjo-Iweala: We Have Reformed Import Waiver System Punch - Import Waivers Granted By Past Govts Lopsided –Okonjo-Iweala Nigeria Intel - Reforming the import waiver regime 5. Stealing Money Through Government Contract Is Now Harder Than Ever In 2007, the federal government made a law that made it difficult for government contractors to steal money. It is called the public procurement act.