CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA: CAUSES, EFFECTS AND SOLUTIONS - BY ABDULWAHEED OLANIYI

The major albatross of the country that is being claimed to be the giant of Africa and the largest black populated country in the world is corruption. Corruption is a parasite with venom of greed and selfishness, sucking Nigeria length and breadth. It must be killed by the ‘soldier-mind’ that is ready to unclad the cloak of personal gains.

Corruption which is the sole enemy of this country exists fully or partially in the minds of every Nigerian. Why? It is the only desire that almost every citizen in Nigeria abhors in the mind knowingly or unknowingly. It is that desire they regard as the ladder to success in life. The corruption—either large or small—runs in our minds not because we are Nigerians, not because we have wealth, not because we have power and population but because our culture often echoes greed and selfishness into our hearts. Before the foundation of the world, corruption has been resident in the heart of man and it has been activated in the heart of every Nigerian even before the creation of Nigeria as a country. This prodigious challenge, corruption, which Nigeria is facing is divided into different components.

Endemic or systemic corruption is one of the components of corruption bedeviling the economic and political system of this country. It is a type of corruption that gives room for rogues to paddle the ship of the political and economic system of the country thereby driving the country to the arid land instead of shore everyone expects. Systemic corruption is the major one that many Nigerian and other people in the world think is the Pharaoh resisting the progress of this nation. But its rank is tertiary which has escaped resistance at the early stage.

The sporadic or individual corruption is the next in rank to endemic. It evolves in individuals who only lack moral behaviour perhaps due to their family background, social status, tribe, lack of trustworthiness, as well as lack of discipline. Those who survive by sporadic corruption derives their joy in chaos, rape, theft and so forth. Individual corruption intends not to undermine the economy or cripples the political integrity of the state, but its major consequence is social disorderliness. As a result, the human productivity becomes low across human endeavours and the society remains stagnant.

The third component of corruption which thrives in Nigeria is known as Grand Corruption. It exists between the private and public actors in which the collective goods are illegitimately converted into private pouch, claiming the ownership of public wealth while other members of the society are living in penury. This practice is flourishes among politicians in the country. When they are in power, they accumulate public wealth and fail to share with it legitimately.

Then, Petty Corruption which is the fourth component of corruption also swims in the heart of this country. It shares affinity with all means of bribery. It is the corruption that occurs when people give or take bribes to influence the implementation of law, alter judgment, rules, regulation and many more.

For instance, people give or take bribes while working in office or on the way. Some people charge others certain amount of money for the service that they are being paid for by their employers. So, every Nigerian, irrespective of political or religious affiliation, partakes in corruption in one way or the other. Therefore, the Nigeria’s enormous challenges is caused by corruption.

Nevertheless, the solution to the problems of this country lies in fighting corruption holistically. It takes extra efforts in solving the challenges of the country. Although the current President is fighting corruption, the anti-graft war is being said not be holistic. The War Against Corruption that President Muhammadu Buhari declared only centres on grand and endemic corruption, the blaze of anti-graft war has not got to the root of theft. The president must be ready to fight the battle, take the bull by the horns and fight all forms of corruption existing in the country. In doing this, there are some measures to be taken.

The major step to take in solving the problems of this country is refurbishing the education. Government at all levels must be ready to give education top priorities. This does not end in providing good infrastructure alone but what and how students from primary school to the university learn must not be taken with levity. Government with the aid of ministry of education must insert a new subject in the curriculum and it must be compulsory for all students in school. The subject must be philosophical, teaching students the love for their country. It must be inserted in such subject the importance of being a hero in one’s country as well as teaching them the social ethics that would distant them from selfishness, avarice, nepotism, tribalism etc. This measure, if taken, will prepare the next generation in becoming good citizen who have self-discipline.  

Another measure to take, which has immediate result, is voting for credible people not parties. Nigerians are being trapped and enslaved as a result of our voting system which has been influenced by our political culture. Corruption thrives in our voting system ranging from the voters, aspirants to electoral commission. If all Nigerians agitate for a country they have in mind, everyone must cease from voting for political parties instead of personalities. No leader is new to us in the country since the time of independence. Nigerians should not be tricked by the kaleidoscopic changes of political parties. Politicians in Nigeria often change their political parties to make people think that they are no more who they are, whereas it is not. The symbol of a credible leader is the attitude of such person: showing readiness to serve not promising to serve; showing to be selfless, not vowing to be. The party that a credible leader will appear might be popular or not. While dreaming for a credible leader, electorates must stop not be coaxed by the politicians before casting their votes.

Everyone must agitate for the rule of law not immunity. Having a credible leader is not strange to Nigerians. We have experienced such when Nigeria was young. They were the leaders who were selfless and believed in rule of law not immunity. Nigerians should not forget Dr Nnamdi Azikwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Alhaji Tafawa Balewa etc. Nigerians must look for their traits in any subsequent leader(s) they would vote for.

For instance, Awolowo was convicted of a crime in the court of law on 11th September, 1963 as a result of bizarre political occurrence which led to the heightening of tension in the old Western Nigeria. A letter addressed to The Supreme Commander and Head of the Federal Military Government in Lagos on 28th March, 1966 while in detention, Awolowo stated that: ‘in the course of my evidence during my trial, I stated that my Party favoured and was actively working for alliance with the N.C.N.C. as a means, among other things, of solving what I described as ‘the problem of Nigeria’, and strengthening the unity of the Federation.’ Such leader(s) is what everyone must agitate for.

Lastly, everyone must be ready to change, kill any form of corruption hiding in one’s blood. Since almost everyone participates in corruption directly or indirectly, every Nigerian should be ready to check his or herself, find the fault and stop blaming another person for the consequences of the societal negligence. If all Nigerians, either the government or the governed, fought corruption within and outside themselves, Nigeria would be great beyond our expectation.