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The Nigerian Sociology of Impunity

Aisha Victoria Hasheem
Aug 28, 2015
4 min read

The concept of modernity refers to a period marked by the questioning of traditions, prioritisation of equality and the development of the nation state with constituent institutions such as modern bureaucracy. Modernity fosters the ideas of development and growth of an individual in any society; we create ideals such as respect for rule of law and democracy, which a modern state is built on.

The tricky parts in Nigeria’s strive for modernity is the common covetousness that threatens the State and the ideals it stands for. Nigeria is recognised as a democracy, which has adopted the principle of the rule of law. The law implies that every citizen is subject to the law, including lawmakers themselves. Lack of rule of law can be caused by neglect or ignorance of the law especially if a government has an insufficient corrective mechanism for restoring it. In the case of Nigeria, our abuse of the principle of rule of law is as a result of our culture of impunity.

Impunity is defined as the exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action. According to Ekanem, the term culture of impunity refers to a situation, which people in society have come to believe that they can do whatever they want. The absence of consequences has helped water the roots of corruption in Nigeria so much that it is present in every institutional sector, from corruption in the education sector to corruption in awarding contracts to even corruption in the law enforcement sector.

Since the creation of modern public administration in Nigeria, there have been cases of official misuse of resources for personal enrichment. Obafemi Awolowo, legendary nationalist, brought our attention to the effects of corruption when he said:

"since independence; Nigerian governments have been a matter of few holding the cow for the strongest and most cunning to milk. Under which everybody runs over everybody to make good at the expense of others"

A significant percentage of the alarming cases of corruption in Nigeria go unpunished. A few examples are:-

$6bn Fuel Subsidy Scam: Notable members of PDP defrauded from the fuel subsidy fund. On going court cases but no convictions.
Police Pension Fund Fraud: Six accused of embezzlement of N32.8 Billion of police pension funds. Accused were given option of a 2year sentence or N750, 000 fine, they all paid the fine.
Stella Oduah’s car purchase scandal: In October, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority purchased 2 bulletproof BMW cars at an inflated price of N255m. No actions taken against the person in charge then.
NNPC missing billions: Untold oil wealth disappears into the pockets of the elite. Whistle blower was fired; the FG ordered an audit of the NNPC. Audit report indicts NNPC and has been asked to refund $1.4billion.
$15 million in Private Jet Arms Scandal: a private jet that conveyed $9.3 million cash from Nigeria to South Africa for an alleged ‘’arms deals’’. Government claimed involvement in scandal, no further explanations made.
Mohammed Abacha N446 Billion case: the government charged Abacha to court on nine counts of stealing in February 2014. The charges were withdrawn and instructions were given to discontinue the case

From the examples above we witness light punishment for shameless scams by government officials on a national level. Even the fines imposed as punishment are not up to a quarter of the embezzled funds.

Nigerians cannot really be surprised at the level of corruption when no repercussions exist. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) a law enforcement agency exist to prevent and persecute advance fraudsters and money launderers. Created in 2003 as a response to the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF), which named Nigeria as one of the 23 countries non-cooperative in the international community’s fight against money laundering.

Even with the existence of the EFCC, the culture of impunity protects many high-ranking officials making them untouchable. The EFCC has also had its fair share of accusations, most recently by George Uboh who learnt law in an American prison, accused the EFCC of looting from the looters. The Chair of EFCC Larmorde has been accused of looting 2.1 trillion. George Uboh created a petition backed with allegations of diversion of funds dating back to 2004. In reaction to the allegations, the Committee Chairman has acknowledged the allegations as serious and assures it will look into the matter.

Just like why the EFCC was created- in an emergent world where conceptions of a state are important, there are negative conceptions for states that support the culture of impunity. Ekanem explains that when people act without fear of punishment, they often act in a brutal manner and such acts oppress freedom within the State, while it remains disturbing to other countries. Presently the EFCC has been bearing its teeth to corrupt officials thanks to the backing of Nigerian President General Mohammadu Buhari.

Known for his fight against corruption. Shortly after his electoral win, President Muhammadu Buhari assured State Governors that the days of impunity, lack of accountability and fiscal recklessness are over. Speaking to the Governors in the Presidential Villa, President Buhari vowed to recover stolen funds and was certain that billions could be returned to the Federal Governments account. With reform minded leaders like President Buhari, Nigeria is witnessing a challenger to its culture of impunity, a battle one-man cant fight alone.

The implications of impunity have crippled the development of Nigeria. State funds that could have gone to the advancement of the country, always get diverted to the pockets of the already rich. Impunity makes a State weak and it cannot uphold the principles of justice and fairness. The real question is if Nigerians can ever overcome this culture of impunity so imbedded in our society.

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