ILLUMINATION with CREATIVE MIND08169276283

ENLIGHTENING MINDS THROUGH THE VOICE OF THE PEN

CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA: A NATIONAL CULTURE

Today I should be quoted for saying our land which shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the West, Chad and Cameroon in the East, Niger in the North and which coast lies in the gulf of Guinea in the South and being washed steadily by the mighty Atlantic is now the homeland of corruption and its extended family.

Bribery has become the employer in the government sectors. Nepotism is now a consistent manager of private enterprises. Egocentrism is an efficient factor in identifying a true Nigerian. Extortion parades the street with confidence. Graft has its home in every states of the country while embezzlement and cronyism threads the boulevards majestically in classy attires. The arms of government are immersed in a deep cesspool of murky corruption.

It is disheartening that the country which name was coined from Niger area by Flora Shaw, the wife of Sir. Frederick Lord Lugard has become a popular reference point during global discourse on failed states, not just because of her stand as a developing country or the poverty level but because the canker called corruption is domiciled in the country tagged the giant of Africa. This is not a subject of any honest debate as it is apparent from the erosion of the institutional capacity of the government, disregard for procedures, the assassination of credibility in the political realm, resources which are being siphoned off, inauguration of examination malpractices in the academic sectors, public offices being bought and sold by the most equal citizens, and of course its recent status as the most corrupt country in the whole globe.

It might be argued that corruption was still at its tender age few years ago but a drive through the memory lane revealed that corruption has been dining and wining in our land watered by Rivers Niger and Benue between the sandy wastes of the gulf of Guinea.

Pretending as if the Colonial masters operated a corruption free administration, Nnamdi Azikwe was the first major political figure investigated for questionable practices in relation to a firm belonging to him and his family in 1944. Even before the Giant of Africa got its independence, corruption had waited patiently to have its share of the nation control. In the then Western region, Adegoke Adelabu popularly known as Adelabu Penkelemesi was also found guilty of political corruption but he was made to pay for his conduct by his resignation as district council head. The corruption allegations leveled against some native authority officials in Bornu then are no exception while the British administrators then were also found guilty of electoral irregularities.

These show of shame successfully crossed the hurdle of freedom with us on the 1st day of October, 1960. However, most of these unscrupulous and vacuous acts were not revealed in those early years of our independence. Perhaps, those in power took advantage of our low political orientation or maybe the independence from the colonial masters was a mask that concealed the corrupt practices of the political barracudas in power.

In 1975, the breeze of truth blew and the Gowon led administration was found to be an agent of the said corruption. A corruption scandal surrounding the importation of cement engulfed his administration and many officials of the defense ministry and central bank of Nigeria were

linked to the scandal. His administration was the first that successfully controlled the newspapers. It was dangerous for anybody to be right in Nigeria then when the government is wrong.

All thanks to the administration of Murtala Mohammed which made a reformist change. However, the successful coup against Murtalas regime got the crippled and dying corruption back to its feet. During Shagaris regime, corruption was pervasive as federal buildings went on fire mysteriously after investigators started probe on finances of the official working in the building. Miraculously, evidences were lost.

These immoral, illegal, ungodly and unethical acts passed from one administration to another as no administration was seen to have taken a sacred bath from the dirt of corruption. The Nigerian police force, political parties, National and state assemblies, Federal and state executive councils, Federal road safety commission and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria were recorded by the Nigeria survey and corruption survey study Final report in June 2003 as the worthy and consistent agents of corruption in Nigeria. Between 1960 t0 1999 more than 400 billion US dollars were stolen from the government treasury by our military and democratic leaders while recent report revealed that an average Nigerian lives below 1 US dollar in a day.

Nigerian government has made the Bible an inefficient reference book when talking about the prodigal son as they stand to be the best illustration of this sybaritic and misappropriation of the nations wealth while the Quran cant be said to give a detailed analysis of corruption when compared to its existence in Nigeria.

The effect of corruption is felt in all ramifications and aspects of our lives; economically, private sectors increases the cost of business

through the price of illicit payments, it also generate economic distortion in the public sectors by diverting public investment into capital projects where bribes and kickbacks are plentiful. Politically, it undermines democracy and good governance by flouting and subverting formal processes. In the judiciary, rule of law are being compromised. In public administration, it results in the inefficient provisions of services while its environmental effect lies in its facilitation of environmental destruction as policies and legislations to protect the environment cannot be enforced as officers can be easily bribed to overlook misdemeanors.

I used to have the credence that corruption runs in the veins of people in power alone. However, a recent encounter with a 5 year old boy who claimed he wants to become a policeman because he is interested in collecting 20 naira from motorists made me realized this cankerworm lives in us all. Hence, corruption has become a national culture among Nigerians.

One great lake that waters the root of corruption is the issue of the sacred cows. The sacred cows are the rotten eggs that are treated to be above the law. They are celebrated for embezzlement, paraded for crime in expensive cars and pardoned for looting and respected for going scot free. Wallowing in the pool of ignorance, people no longer condemn these official criminals again. The common slang now is Na national cake if you sef dey there, you go chop your own. Our questions are no longer who are the corrupt people?, rather who are the most corrupt Homo sapiens?

The EFCC and his toothless and clawless twin brother, ICPC used to be an efficient and effective poison against corruption, however their recent activities revealed the duo as a dog which can only bark and not bite. Hence, the law which is ever ready to devour the monsters of perversity

and money laundering dragons is seen slumbering after being given an overdose of political sleeping dose.

Heads of banks, speakers of the houses, past heads of state, presidents, governors, business tycoons and people in political offices are seen as a solid giant mountain which will only break the blade of our laws if tackled, while the courts were turned into a stage where villains laughed at the inadequacies of our laws. A man who stole a goat kept lamenting after years in jail while official robbers are allowed to pay millions to continue swimming in the ocean of their ill-gotten treasure.

I think now is the time for Nigerians to combat corruption individually if the governments and its agencies tends to be incapable. If we claim a city is dirty, let every man sweep his house clean and see if we wont have a dirt-free city. We should have a sincere determination not to take or receive bribes. Let us choose to achieve things on the basis of integrity. Speak out and join campaigns to condemn corruption. Practical actions should be taken to encourage sound moral values in our societies because charity begins at home. Africa is the fountain of pride. West Africa is the home of moral standards and values. Nigeria is the abode of great people with great minds. Nigerians are not criminals. Corruption is not our identity, if only you and I can stop abusing our reasoning.

culled from www.oluwaseguncreativemind.blogspot.com