18 Jul 2008 |
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It saddens one to note that Nigeria has become the land of the dead and robots. If not, how can people of average intelligence allow people of lower intelligence or people that exhibit inhumane animal instinct govern them for so long without a non-violent way to stop the vicious cycle? The question here is also, why do the logical, spiritually adept and the progressives among us recoil to their shells in the face of assaults by government functionaries (like in the days of Fani Kayode, the military brass that will not challenge the status quo until it is convenient to decent after leaving office; and the judiciary that simply rule base on political expediencies without taking into consideration that they may be the our final frontier and custodians to achieving true Nigerian democracy? It is because the savvy amongst us has a mindset that every complaint on why our nation is not developing is a mere exaggeration which contains no small kernel of recognizable truth. Our complaints, they and their Diaspora surrogates, believe are all in the minds. When we speak and dream of stopping corruption in Nigeria, we cannot but ask why we lionize those politicians and their aid-de-camp who siphon our wealth to foreign lands and why we praise and tolerate present and previous thieves in power. In 1966, some of the leaders took no more than 10% of the contractual amount in bribe. They were callously executed by those who are today’s bigger and better thieves. Today, contract sum of US$100 Million is changed with a stroke of a pen to US$1.0 Billion without betting an eye. Countries like Nigeria with mono – economy that is dependent on fossil fuel must note that developed countries are sub-contracting to stable developing world and de-emphasizing use of fossil fuel for renewable energy, crude oil producing nation must convert their crude oil income to intangible assets not disposable assets such as homes in different parts of the world or buying latest cars as our looters in Nigeria do. Corruption cannot come with stupidity. Why is the media not giving graphic details of the effect of corruption in Nigeria? For example, when the roads are no pliable, it is because we indirectly agree that we prefer bad roads to good roads and corruption to honesty by supporting corrupt relations and leaders. When water is not running in our taps, it is due to our agreed and support for the status quo to continue. When there is no electricity for days and months, the =N=1000 someone bribed us with is stopping the flowing of water. When our children are called different ugly names and treated badly in Disapora, corruption is our contribution to development of humanity. When our infrastructure is no better than what the British left in 1960, we are rejoicing the labor of corruption. When our children are left in dysfunctional private and public schools, we are simply enjoying the shambolic state of education. Unfortunately, those we hail and those who siphon our money always manage to take their children to good schools abroad while laughing at our foolishness. When, instead of enjoying our contribution and progress in Diaspora like other immigrant citizens, we continue to send money home to the corrupt relations and partakers in corruption, we pay for sins of corruption. But what are the root-causes of corruption in Nigeria and how can we reduce or dismantle corruption in our society? Two powerful forces: selfishness and greed fan the flame of corruption in any society. The following are the indices that fuel corruption in our present society and the way to knock corruption off its foundation: 1. There are no natural disaster that is capable of compelling our nation think so we create an artificial disaster called corruption; 2. Embedded in our culture. A culture that grew from being a brother’s keeper to selfishness is bound to grow in corruption. The way forward in this area is to go back to understanding governance from our own cultural and moral standpoint; 3. Arrogance of power and low self-esteem. This is prevalent in our society more than ever before. In fact, it can be said that Nigerians have been whipped to shape by the mammoth corruption in the Executive, Legislative, Judiciary, and the mass media that connive with and perpetuate false information on behalf of corrupt leaders. To resolve this, governance should be about service to humanity rather than about oneself, mass media must give timely and factual information out so that citizens can rally round to rescue the nation from impending implosion; 4. One thing that African (Nigerian) leaders present and past know best is how to pulverize citizens so as to dance to their tune because citizens are focused on how to make ends meet rather than how to innovate. Some citizens have determined that corruption is the easiest way or indeed the only way–to get what they want. The way the nation can stop this index of corruption are: a) Make processes very transparent; b) Review all project awarded before payment to ascertain that they meet at least basic performance objectives; and c) Put stiff penalty on those engaged in corruption including high ranking officials (politicians, police men, military officers, Professors, roadside mechanics, etc.); 5. Nigerians have observed corruptions in high places through the activities of politicians, policemen, and judges who either ignore corruption or actively practice corruption and merely follow their leaders’ examples. 6. For some citizens corruption may be the only convenient means of avoiding punishment even when they know they are not guilty of an offense because policemen, politicians, and Judges often connive to form a convenient alliance in setting citizens up. Citizens merely follow law enforcement officials, politicians, legislators, and Judges that seem to ignore corruption or even practice it themselves. As corruption metamorphosizes, it becomes a panacea of problem-solving strategy and a way of life; 7. Officials often stop paying their workers salaries for a long time hoping that the interest that is accrued over time from such funds will be usurped and principal giving back as salaries. So, workers with pitifully low wages come to accept their fate that they have no option but to demand bribes for work they are already paid for in order to guarantee themselves a decent living. So when those who bribe or pay bribe to gain an unfair advantage go unpunished, few frustrated citizens may be prepared to swim against the tide. Ecclesiastes 8:11 says, "Because sentence against a bad work has not been executed speedily, heart of the sons of men has become fully set in them to do bad," observed King Solomon. 8. Every nation has its own share of corrupt members but no nation can survive with more than 80% of citizens engaging in “unproductive corruption.” Why “unproductive,” because, in most nations, most corrupt leaders leave the loot in the country of origin and develop, create and beautify their nations but in Nigeria, looters cause capital flight meant for development. "A mere lover of silver will not be satisfied with silver," observed Solomon, "neither any lover of wealth with income." (Ecclesiastes 5:10); and 9. Although, greed may be good for making money, it invariably winks at corruption and illegality; it causes dislocation of industry and affirms immorality in society. Few honest citizens must ask for the sources of income from their friends and foes and we must encourage industry rather than looting. We often, more than not, think that criticism of corruption in a country like Nigeria is moronic. Unfortunately, corruption constitutes real and present danger to development of a nation and to the next generation because corruption in Nigeria has become pandemic. Yet, the reaction of our cultural elites is interesting, instinctive and instructive in line with the German saying, ”Aufgeschoben ist nicht aufgehoben” because the day of reckoning may be closer than the corruption Nigerians wish it to be. Elitist reaction to corruption implies that once one can create an air of invincibility and untouchable to be protected, the Executive, the Legislative and Judiciary would follow the scrip as in the case of many abandoned probes, many stifled probes and many exonerated crooks. If executive, the legislative, and the Judiciary sleep at the wheel and permit average Nigerians to determine the weapons they may use to dismantle disenfranchisement and to limit the terrain upon which they are to be permitted to fight, violent revolution is guaranteed and our nation will be loser. This is simply because the usual jurisprudence of empyreanic justice will no longer be tenable since everything within the nation is falling apart very fast and the center may not be able to hold. The solution of “God in control” to every nagging social, healthcare, Educational, epileptic energy, lack of job creation and other political problems in Nigeria will no longer be the acceptable solution. When we sit on the fence partaking in corruption, we offend the very people that the almighty gave us advocacy to protect, the poor, the disenfranchised, those service-believing politicians rigged from office or the people whose approbation we seek as the measure of moral worth. Nigeria has not treated her citizens with respect and may, therefore, not expect respect from the citizens, loyalty goes two ways. Some argue that since FGN awarded some citizens scholarship, citizens must be loyal at all cost. This cannot be far from incorrect. If mere scholarship of $40,000 is what determines loyalty, what does looting one Billion Naira command? How does a nation quantify citizens that have been disillusioned but still a very loving and loyal to Nigeria? Such citizens are true patriots and deserve our unadulterated respect. Returning hate for hate is dastard but returning honesty for corruption is divine. The amount of money looted is growing exponentially and there seems to be no end in sight. We must find a way of stopping our nation’s financial hemorrhaging. By encouraging outright, hateful, and senseless corruption to thrive, we become vocal advocate admirers of corruption. Our dilapidated infrastructure show it, our mindset assure it, the insecurity of lives and properties are all indications of a nation ripping the sins of injustice, corruption but, more importantly, our indifference to these ills reign supreme in our common national psyche. Let men of integrity not let the efforts of our heroes past be in vain. In the present day Nigeria, mother as against children because of money, brothers are betraying brothers, sisters against brothers and families are falling apart because of lack of trust brought about by corruption. These are signs of end time. Let men that believe in an omnipotent, omnipresent Supreme Being, call Him God, Allah, Sango, Oya, Buddha, etc., pray for intercession and may the world a better place for all. At this place in time and at this juncture, we must not allow our imperfect union to drive and exaggerate our semi perfect humanity as to result in an imperfect relationship where chaos and injustices reign supreme as in our present state of the Union. A word is enough for the wise.
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