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Masari's Crusade

Daily Champion (Lagos)
OPINION
July 15, 2004
Posted to the web July 16, 2004
Lagos
SPEAKER of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Masari, recently took
upon himself a unique form of advocacy that, if successful, will be of immense
benefit to developing countries of the world that are currently confronted with
large scale corruption.
Addressing the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the equivalent of Nigeria's House
of Representatives recently, while on a visit to that country, Masari told the
legislators to get the western nations to henceforth treat monies stolen by
corrupt African leaders from their countries' treasuries and stashed abroad as
"terrorists funds."
According to him, such classification, would result in such funds being
impounded by the host nations, and dissuade African leaders from further
plundering their countries' coffers.
The Speaker accused the Western nations of complicity in the looting of the
continent, since they provided safe havens for such stolen funds. He further
contended that it was ironic that the west that encourages corruption through
such actions often turned around to accuse their accomplices of corruption.
On the face of it, Masari's argument cannot be faulted. By stealing the
collective patrimony of their people, leaving them impoverished and despondent,
Masari's similae could indeed find serious justification. This is more so as
these negative activities wreak untold havoc on the economies of such
countries.
These have also been held responsible for the inter-ethnic, religious and other
conflicts that have claimed millions of lives in the continent with the toll
still rising in some parts.
In those activities that have been remotely linked to terrorism, the western
world has responded to it by confiscating funds available in their various
banks. Indeed, the west has enlisted virtually all countries of the world,
including poor African nations in the war against terrorism, which is largely
targeted against their people and economy.
There is, therefore, no reason why they should not, even voluntarily, enlist in
Masari's crusade against this other form of terrorism that is wasting the
African continent. Their inability to do so has tended to fuel the speculation
that they profit from that unwholesome tendency.
This is because these funds lodged in their banks, are used to run their
economies and depending on the country of domicile and the banking laws in
operation there, much of such monies cannot be repatriated to the country of
origin as they remain in the west to further provide them with the civilisation
they enjoy at the expense of the owners of the stolen monies.
Continued impoverishment of Africa through this western aided looting would at
some point, result in a loss of confidence in the much touted commitment of the
west to probity and accountability. It will also make a nonsense of the various
negative ratings of the third world by those development agencies that are
sponsored by them. That is the real danger.
Also, if Africa remains illiterate, disease-riddled and underdeveloped, the
ripple effects would certainly impact negatively on these western nations,
especially as they would find it increasingly difficult to prospect for and
exploit the raw materials that they need to keep the engines of their
civilisation running. It is therefore pertinent for the west to cooperate and
collaborate with the third world to discourage the penchant for looting the
collective patrimony by their leaders on account of the willingness of western
financial institutions to receive such funds.
Notwithstanding the Speaker's exhortations to the west, it is also important
that the likes of Masari must equally look inwards and address the thieves at
home, because if they do not steal in the first instance, the urge to ferry
them across would not be there. They should be told in no uncertain terms that
corruption is a dangerous enterprise through the strict enforcement of the
relevant laws.
If African leaders stop stealing, western nations will have no stolen funds in
their banks. Thus Masari's advocacy should therefore challenge the west
sufficiently to institute measures to discourage the receipt of stolen funds by
their banks.

   

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