My Naija

WAR AGAINST CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA: IT BEGINS FROM ME!

The phenomenon of corruption is not new in Nigeria, and it is one issue that has eaten deep into fabric of the society.

Over the years of her existence, there have been continuous cases of misuse of official funds for personal gain. Greed and a flamboyant lifestyle have been blamed as a potential root cause of corruption.

Corruption is a challenge that every country in the world faces, the only difference being the magnitudes of its practice in various countries. Nigeria is rated 139th out of 176 countries in Transparency International’s 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index, tied with Azerbaijan, Kenya, Nepal, and Pakistan.

Corruption in Nigeria has a rather long history. From the time when public administration began in Nigeria, up till this moment; from the pre-independence to independence periods, and down to the military regimes, there have been records of corrupt practices among Nigerians of note. The difference between the early years of our existence and now, in terms of corruption, has been found to be the levels at which it was practiced; earlier in the country’s history, it was kept at manageable levels, but today, it has grown into overwhelming proportions.

Corrupt practices

The African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption and Related Offences lists acts of corruption to include: 

a. The solicitation or acceptance, directly or indirectly by a public official or any other person, of any goods of monetary, or other benefit, such as a gift, favour, promise or advantage for himself or herself or for another person or entity, in exchange for any act or omission in the performance, of his or her public functions; 

b. The offering or granting, directly or indirectly, to a public official or any other person of any goods of monetary value, or other benefit, such as a gift, favour, promise or advantage for himself or herself or for any person or entity, in exchange for any act or omission in the performance of his or her public functions;  

c. The offering or granting, directly or indirectly, to a public official or any other person for the purpose of illicitly obtaining benefits for himself or herself or for a third party; 

d. The diversion by a public official or any other person, for purposes unrelated to those for which they were intended, for his own or her own benefit or that of a third party, of any property belonging to the state or its agencies, to an independent agency, or to an individual, that such official has received by virtue of his or her position; 

e. The offering or giving, promising, solicitation or acceptance, directly or indirectly, of any undue advantage to or by any person, who directs or works for, in any capacity, a private sector entity, for himself or herself or for anyone else, for him or her to act or refrain from acting, in breach of his or her duties; 

f. The offering, giving, soliciting or accepting directly or indirectly, or promising of any undue advantage to or by any person who asserts or confirms that he or she is able to exert any improper influence over the decision making of any person performing functions in the public or private sector in consideration thereof, whether the undue advantage is for himself or herself or for anyone else, as well as the request, receipt or the acceptance of the offer or the promise of such an advantage, in consideration of that influence, whether or not the influence is exerted or whether or not the supposed influence leads to the intended result; 

g. Illicit enrichment  

h. The use or concealment of proceeds derived from any of the acts referred to in this article; and 

i. Participation as a principal, co-principal, agent, instigator, accomplice or accessory after the fact, or in any other manner in the commission or attempted commission of, in any collaboration or conspiracy to commit, any of the acts referred to in this article. 

How are you involved – or exempted?

When we hear the term, corruption, usually, the first thing that comes to mind is government and other parastatals. We quickly think of the Nigerian Police, Federal and State Executive Councils, National and State Assemblies, Local and Municipal Governments, political parties, Traffic Police and FRSC, PHCN, etc.

These have displayed high levels of corruption over the years, no doubt. But the question arises, What is the proportion of Nigerians in these positions compared to “the rest of us”?

The war against corruption, if it must be won in this country, has to begin from those who have come to the realization that it is gravely evil and destructive to the lives of Nigerians and our economy; those who have at one time or the other complained; those who have been embarrassed or even oppressed because of an official’s show of power; those who have given up on participating in elections (because they have come to believe that “our votes don’t count”); those who have been extorted in this or that government office; those who have been denied promotion or even their pension benefits for no just cause; those who have been denied a job opportunity though they were more than qualified and even passed the interview for it, because oga’s slot must be left open…

If we do not stand up and make change happen, it will only grow worse. Remember that change begins from you. The only way to change those around you is to change yourself.

What right has a Nigerian to accuse the government of corrupt practices when he has just paid some good amount to the teacher of his 10 year old daughter in primary six to “ensure my daughter does not write this exam twice”? What right have you to say that Nigerian lawmakers are thieves when last month you added a new zero to the figures on your account book at the office, just to make a little something for your pocket?

Why do you say that the Nigerian government is awful when you are known for cutting corners because you have your “connections” everywhere? Even the driver’s license and international passport you are using now were not duly issued you, were they?

What right have you to say, “The former president was a dubious man”, when you have just lied to your friend (who has not an iota of doubt about your reliability) that the business you both contributed funds to pursue failed, after you have licked up all the profit? What about you who have taken so much more than you can even calculate through yahoo yahoo (internet fraud); and you who have gone abroad to blemish our national image because of greed?

Why blame the government for lack of transparency when after hiding in your room yesterday, you told your wife and son to tell Mr. X that you were out of town? Aren’t we all guilty of corruption somehow?

I realize that corruption is gradually becoming a norm in our country. It is becoming normal to “settle” policemen on our highways; to pay some extra amount in certain offices, beyond what will be reflected in the receipt; to pay a fee in order to get a job, irrespective of qualification; etc.

We must not forget that children are the only future we have. If we allow these patterns to continue, soon they too will become a part of it, because corruption is becoming a way of doing things in this country. If we do not find a quick solution, and uproot this evil from its roots, our own children will grow up and continue with the system they have met. After all, on their own, they lack the capacity to judge effectively, to decipher what practices are right or wrong.

This is a call for every Nigerian to look inwards and make a change, beginning from ME.

Be the change you want to see! Good People, Great Nation!

Further Reading: 
Corruption in Nigeria