A trader looks at a poster of ACPN female presidential candidate Oby Ezekwesili in Kaduna on January 17, 2019. AFP
A trader looks at a poster of ACPN female presidential candidate Oby Ezekwesili in Kaduna on January 17, 2019. AFP

Corruption takes centre stage in Nigerian election campaign



Corruption is taking centre stage in the run-up to Nigeria's presidential elections, with the incumbent accused of failing to tackle the scourge of graft and his challenger facing claims about his past.

Muhammadu Buhari, an austere and pious former general, will take on wealthy former vice-president Atiku Abubakar at the polls on February 16.

Both are ethnic Hausas, Muslims from the country's north.

Mr Buhari, who rose to power in 2015 on a promise to eradicate the "cancer" of graft gnawing at Africa's most populous nation, has cultivated an image of blamelessness.

Bola Tinubu, Nigeria's political "godfather" closely allied with Mr Buhari, earlier this month described him as "a straight and honest man".

"Leave a naira [local currency] on the table with Buhari in the room. You will find the naira on the table when you return," he said, in a thinly veiled criticism of Mr Abubakar.

For his part, Mr Abubakar is alleged to have amassed several hundred million dollars by misusing public funds as vice-president under Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007 – yet he has never been investigated in his own country.

"On the issue of corruption, I have challenged anyone, anywhere, who has any evidence of corruption against me to come forward," Mr Abubakar has said.

"I will shock everyone because I believe that I will fight corruption like never before."

But in the United States, Mr Abubakar's name has popped up in a Senate investigation into money laundering.

It charged in a 2010 report that US national Jennifer Douglas, Mr Abubakar's fourth wife, "helped her husband bring over $40 million [Dh146.9 million] in suspect funds into the United States through wire transfers sent by offshore corporations to US bank accounts."

The couple are also accused of having received more than $2 million in commissions for a contract with German industrial giant Siemens, which has since pleaded guilty in the case.

But this week Mr Abubakar put paid to rumours that he was subject to a visa ban and unable to travel to the US by jetting to Washington for meetings with American counterparts.

Mr Abubakar told AFP last year he would retain no stakes in his various companies if he is elected president.

His sprawling business empire includes interests in telecommunications, transport, real estate, agriculture, import/export and healthcare.

Verifying his pledge to stand aside will be difficult in the opaque economic system in Nigeria, which global watchdog Transparency International ranked in the 148th place of a total 180 countries for corruption in 2017.

Mr Buhari stands in stark contrast to his flamboyant fellow northerner's private jet, Rolex watches and luxury cars.

His spokesman in 2015 said the president had "an austere and spartan lifestyle", unlike other Nigerian politicians who have amassed wealth during their careers.

But Mr Buhari, who vowed to usher in more transparent and accountable government, has come under harsh criticism for an apparent lack of progress in the fight against graft.

Steps in the right direction have included two essential reforms – a single Treasury account for all government revenue and the introduction of a biometric identification system in banks to better trace clients and transfers of funds.

"Those are the two areas I commend the government," said Saadatu Falila Hamu, a specialist anti-corruption lawyer based in Abuja.

"But despite this, the government has focused their fight against corruption on people of the opposing political parties."

Mr Hamu also faulted Nigeria's main anti-corruption body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for "inefficiency".

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In November, EFCC director Ibrahim Magu boasted having seized the equivalent of $2.3 billion as well as sumptuous villas, jewellery, and cars – but often outside legal procedures.

Mr Buhari has pledged to review all oil exploitation contracts to be renewed after this year.

Such an electoral promise "can either lead to total chaos in the industry or lead to sanity", said analyst Soji Apampa.

Nigeria depends on oil sales for 70 per cent of its revenues.

In 2013 under president Goodluck Jonathan, the head of the central bank reported a $20 billion shortfall in revenue – a scandal that helped bring about Mr Jonathan's fall and Mr Buhari's election in 2015.

Nevertheless, the state-run Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, considered a slush fund for successive governments, remains notoriously opaque and Mr Buhari – who is also oil minister – named a close associate to head it.

"Imagine a broken pipeline with all of Nigeria's resources flowing through it. Instead of fixing the hole, you bring a man with a whip" to deter people from stealing, Mr Apampa said.

"We haven't seen a government with an elaborate plan" to repair the pipeline, he added.

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Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?

It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?

Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.

The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.

The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.

Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver. 

The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.

But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.

Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.

It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.

So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.

Rory Reynolds

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Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

The bio

His favourite book - 1984 by George Orwell

His favourite quote - 'If you think education is expensive, try ignorance' by Derek Bok, Former President of Harvard

Favourite place to travel to - Peloponnese, Southern Greece

Favourite movie - The Last Emperor

Favourite personality from history - Alexander the Great

Role Model - My father, Yiannis Davos

 

 

Barbie
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ON%20TRACK
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The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars

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Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
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Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5