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Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari came to power in 2015 in a wave of optimism, a glorious moment for the country's democracy and a muscular anti-corruption agenda.
A little of all of this has evaporated. Framed in part by illness, general incompetence and some outmoded ideas about the economy, Buhari is a lame duck
. With general elections approaching next year, its All Progressive Congress (APC) is in turmoil, blurred by defections.
"Monumental Catastrophe"
APC parliamentarians described the three years of Buhari as a "monumental disaster," and dozens of people rushed down the halls to join the main opposition party. Democratic Party (PDP) and small parties.
The promise of Buhari is transformed into a cropper. Although his government repulsed brutal Boko Haram militants, the jihadist group is reborn and the bloody clashes between Fulani farmers and livestock keepers have erupted dramatically.
The economy remains in the doldrums and unemployment remains very high. Buhari is hurt, he will probably not face political death in the election of next year – unless things get worse. One of the reasons is that even though it has not eliminated corruption, and that remains a problem, Buhari himself is not perceived as a thief, as some corrupt African leaders are considered
. The first two years of his administration earned him political capital that did not run out.
And it is not just Buhari who will benefit from his early efforts to fight corruption. Across Africa, we are witnessing a significant shift around the subject of transplantation. The fight against corruption allows presidents, whose political grip is precarious or who face internal threats to their power, to strengthen their power. [
] 19659002] In Angola, last year, President João Lourenço took over from Eduardo Jose dos Santos, long-time ruler and autocrat. Dos Santos's 38-year rule, particularly its last two decades, has been marked by unimaginable levels of corruption fueled by oil revenues.
Lourenço was perceived as a poodle, but he surprised everyone and validated Dos Santos. family and his corrupt buddies. Isabel dos Santos, the daughter of the former president, has become the richest woman in Africa, with billions of dollars, thanks to the love of her father. In one of his most daring gestures, Lourenço snatched her off the spoon and gave up her lucrative contracts, having dismissed her at the head of the state-owned Sonangol oil company shortly after her entry into function
. In South Africa, when Cyril Ramaphosa took over from the outrageous Jacob Zuma in February, he quickly took a lead by posing as Mr. Clean, and making anti-corruption noises.
In Tanzania, we saw President John Magufuli do the same thing when he won the presidency three years ago. And although he faces criticism to become more and more authoritarian and to pull the nails, he is not in election trouble. Ordinary people in Tanzania seem to be content to go against corrupted and cut government waste.
But perhaps the only country where a combination of anti-corruption fundamentalism and state efficiency has produced the biggest political dividend is in Rwanda, where President Paul Kagame is there for a long time.
Even in Kenya, where politicians talk about anti-corruption, President Uhuru Kenyatta is pushing to conduct lifestyle audits of leaders and officials, and a handful of skyline from
It is now clear that the global caricature – and reality – of African governments and rulers as thieves, which was the dominant characterization for nearly 30 years, was demoralizing for the average African of 39, a way that was not fully appreciated. Recognizing a country's leadership as honest therefore brings a lot of pride.
The feeling that corruption is probably the biggest enemy of progress on the continent seems to be much more pervasive than we previously thought, and so action against corruption gives the leader the # 1 39, appearance of a worthy caregiver.
We are probably close to a point where the fight against corruption is the biggest deal that an autocrat can do with African voters. A leader who fights corruption, and can even show a modest positive result by investing the "savings" well, will be unbeatable in elections.
He can stop all journalists in his country, ban half of the NGOs, and win again easily. This is how decades of corruption have distorted our policy.
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