News that the Federal Government is developing advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) to verify assets and flag unexplained wealth among public servants is a welcome development. Given the level of damage corruption has done to stall development at home and give the country a bad image abroad, whatever innovation is available to stem the malaise is encouraging.

  The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Dr Abubakar Bello, recently disclosed that the online tool, which is set to be deployed in the first quarter of 2026, will enable public servants to declare their assets from anywhere in the world. The tool will be linked to essential databases, including the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Bank Verification Number (BVN), land registries and other government records.

At this critical stage, applying technology to enhance the fight against corruption is in the best interest of the country. The cost of corruption on the country is massive. It cannot be condoned. The monumental poverty in the land, where 130 million people live in misery, is caused by corruption. Resources that were budgeted for essential services, such as education, hospitals and roads, are routinely diverted. Estimates by the Chatham House, as quoted by The Economist, put the amount stolen in the country at $582 billion between 1960 and 2019.

Another report said over $200 billion was lost to fraud and other irregularities between 1970 and 2008. Former military ruler, Sani Abacha, was reported to have stolen around $5 billion when he ruled the country between 1993 and 1998. Over $3.6 billion has been recovered from the United States, the United Kingdom and Switzerland, where his cronies laundered the stolen loot.

Of recent, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), reported significant recoveries of over N566 billion and $411 million in cash, plus 1,502 properties within two years; proceeds the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, claimed, were expended on social programmes.

Fundamental to the fight against corruption is the need to carry the people along. The fight must be seen to be transparent and accountable, so that it is not perceived as a tool to witch-hunt political opponents while those who find favour with the government of the day are shielded. Nigerians recall with nostalgia the era when the EFCC investigated a serving Inspector General of Police and forced him to retire before promptly arresting and prosecuting him. That was gallantry and professionalism at its best. Two former governors were prosecuted and sent to jail. Nigerians want a repeat of the era when anti-corruption was prosecuted without fear or favour.

The EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies should not in any way encourage insinuations of bias in the fight. There is a strong suspicion now that the fight is discriminatory. Let there be no sacred cows. Allow citizens, who are the victims of corruption, to be carried along. Let members of the public have trust in the process, as everything must be done to avoid suspicions.

The arrest and ongoing prosecution of former Attorney General of the Federation, Shehu Malami, for corruption charges, is again testing the integrity of the anti-corruption fight. Supporters of the former Minister of Justice allege that he is being persecuted for belonging to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the fledgling opposition coalition that threatens to unsettle the ruling party. Had he remained with the All Progressives Congress (APC), they charge, his sins could have been forgiven. It is up to the EFCC to debunk the accusations and demonstrate practically that the allegations are a scheme by corrupt public officers to undermine the government’s anti-corruption campaign.

There are prominent members of this government whose corruption cases have been defined. In 2015, the EFCC, acting on petitions, investigated and prosecuted Godswill Akpabio for alleged diversion of over N100 billion from the coffers of Akwa Ibom State, at the time he was governor between 2007 and 2015. Akpabio alleged witch-hunt. He later joined the APC and he seemed to find rest, as not much is being said about the allegations. In 2018, the then spokesman of EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said the Commission was yet to put a lid on Akpabio’s case. But the Senate President has since soared in political attainment.

Another prominent case is that of Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, who was convicted in December 2019 by the Federal High Court in Lagos and sentenced to 12 years in prison. In May 2020, however, the Supreme Court overturned the conviction of Kalu’s accomplice, Jones Udeogu, ruling that the trial judge, Mohammed Idris, had been elevated to the Court of Appeal before delivering the judgment. It was a matter of lack of jurisdiction, to which the EFCC promised to challenge. Nigerians are yet to see the EFCC do that, after the Court of Appeal, Abuja, granted the Commission leave to commence retrial.

Malami and his son have been charged with 16 criminal counts for allegedly laundering N8 billion. He is alleged to own no fewer than 30 high-value property worth about N212.8 billion. Malami had requested that Olukoyede removes himself from the investigation, alleging vendetta.

Now that the matter is in court, Nigerians demand a fair trial. Let politics not interfere in the fight against corruption. It is patently unfair to the millions of Nigerians who are poor that a handful of politically-exposed persons and their allies in public offices are unduly and perpetually privileged to milk the country dry, at the expense of real and meaningful development. That should stop. A system that gives room for mishandling of public funds is greatly flawed and must be dismantled. There should be drastic reforms in appointments to make anti-corruption agencies truly independent.

The EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies should place the interest of the country above that of a handful of opportunists, irrespective of party affiliation. Let there be no manipulation of justice to favour some while others are punished. Let there be justice for hapless Nigerians who are the ultimate losers in the notorious looting of public resources.

The EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies should be thorough and diligent in their investigation and prosecution. They must consciously work to avoid creating loopholes that enable looters to escape justice.