I spent a lot of time thinking about what issues to present for the Nigerian Discussion Series today. After thinking for a long time, I realized that there was one problem that repeatedly arises whenever we talk about anything in Nigeria. That problem is corruption. I think it is necessary for us to deal with this underlying issue today. As we all know corruption is pervasive in Nigerian society and exists at practically every level of society. For Nigeria to progress into a country where a majority of its people can afford 3 meals a day, have access to appropriate healthcare and where teachers can get paid a fair salary, corruption, and its effects, must be expunged.
The Niger Delta, for instance, is in complete chaos and I believe that government officials are to blame. Organizations like MEND kidnap and destroy in a quest to get more oil revenue for the people of the region who live in absolute squalor. Yet, it has been well documented that although the oil producing states of Nigeria make up around 10 percent of Nigerians, they receive a significant amount of federal funds annually. Where does that money go? Undoubtedly into the pockets of politicians and their cronies. All reasonable people know that oil revenue should be used to build schools, hospitals, provide clean water and electricity and of course, clean up the environmental mess created by oil companies like Shell. Apparently, corrupt officials are not reasonable and do not see that the solution to MEND and the Delta's problems is to investment in their constituents.
The Obasanjo administration set up the EFCC to investigate and prosecute Nigerian officials for corruption. This organization has put various elected officials, political aspirants and even military officials in the hot seat by accusing them of graft. I can only hope that they will soon turn their attention to the corrupt leaders of the Niger Delta. Well, corruption has reared its ugly head in the preparation for upcoming elections. The EFCC just released a list of political aspirants it alleges are too corrupt to participate in the upcoming elections. However, as is sometimes the case in Nigeria, a good thing can turn bad very quickly. Critics have accused the EFCC of being a tool for Obasanjo to thwart the political ambitions of his alleged enemies. These accusations have, and continue, to weaken the platform upon which EFCC was founded and in my opinion have created an environment where future attempts to wipe out corruption will be threatened, but not impossible.
The 'Big Boys' are clearly not the only ones in the corruption game. I once saw a Nigerian movie where a woman could not go past a gateman to see his oga on the inside. Why? Well, he informed her that he did not care who came to visit his oga, everybody had to 'settle' him first. She calmly gave the man his money and walked into the house. I use this as an example of how rampant corruption is and how every layer of society participates in it and is obviously affected by it.
We must all admit that corruption is the common denominator to all of Nigeria's problems. From the Big Boys to the gatemen. From the police officers to the university teachers. How are we going to get rid of corruption in Nigeria? Are institutions like EFCC the way to deal with the issue? If not, are there alternative measures and what are they? How can we as individuals, at home and abroad, effect change? It is imperative that we address this issue because we need to come up with the solution. We clearly cannot depend upon our leaders to do it.
UPDATE: The governors of Ebonyi, Enugu and Benue have been charged with corruption. (Thanks for the update mom). See it in the Tribune.
(Sorry for the delay in listing this entry. Winter storm took out our power.)
CORRUPTION: THE COMMON DENOMINATOR TO ALL OUR PROBLEMS
Friday, February 9, 2007
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27 Curiosities. Add Yours.:
I agree with you that corruption is a common denominator of our problems.
I don't think we should completely rely on the EFCC to fight corruption.
Like your Nigerian movie example showed, we have different degrees of corruption, but they are all still corruption. Corruption in high places started from somewhere.....most likely those "small/low places".
Ofcourse the EFCC is not going to fight those "small/low places" corruption.
So it's left to us as individuals to not partake in corruption no matter how small it may seem. And sometimes I think, corruption comes in the form of FAVOURS and "BUSINESS"...hmmm.
Corruption is the underlying problem. From the little kola you give to the policeman on the road to the people in the top echelons of society who actively loot funds...
I liked your point about the Niger Delta. Even the groups that demand a greater share of the resources use it only for themselves so corruption extends to them (see Naijanaz's post on a recent incident).
Another problem can be found in the system we run. If we went purely capitalist, the other states would concentrate on developing instead of relying on oil, and there'd be greater reason to hang the powers that be in the Niger Delta states when there's nothing to show for their efforts.
I'm just waking up so I may not sound clearheaded. I'll return.
@ Nilla: You just clarified what is the complexity of Nigerian corruption - 'favors' and 'business'. As such, it will take a multilayered approach to address the issue and bring corruption to an end. I think the EFCC is a start, but stronger laws against corruption and courageous officials that will use these laws against big boys & gatemen will be important.
@ Azuka: Thank you for pointing me to Naijanaz's post. Will read immediately. I agree with you that the entire system (political, economic, social) needs to be revamped. However, if we do not tackle corruption, even if we were a purely capitalist economic system, corruption would still act as a disadvantage to progress for the masses.
Can’t stay for too long as I am paid to make the ‘white man’ richer not bitch about a country he couldn't give a rat's ass about.
**In Abacha’s voice** **sunglasses on**
Fellow Nigerians,
I find it interesting and offensive that other countries (I think) are actually sponsoring what would be considered to be terrorism in Nigeria. Reading the first few pages of the Vanity Fair article on Nigeria it became apparent that huge ransoms are paid to release kidnapped oil workers.
I don’t agree with the kidnap of the oil workers. But I don’t think their lives are more valuable than the lives of the people of the Niger Delta area.
Also, I feel that the EFCC is nothing more than a tool to manipulate the people. The EFCC is aprt of the problem. Not totally. But in part. The EFCC is intertwined with the political process. Obasanjo clearly makes them go after who they want to. Why the hell is Babangida still a free man??
Being called corrupt in Nigeria is the equivalent of calling someone a paedophile over here. There will be a serious with hunt for anything to taint you. I have no doubt that Atiku has gained wealth via illicit means. But I can say the same for Obasanjo. In fact Nigeria is wholly corrupt. You can’t tell me that you have not given someone a bribe whilst you were in Nigeria. Impossible. If you’re saying you haven’t, then you’re writing your thoughts from Kiri Kiri.
We have a problem. Corruption is the common denominator. As any economist worth his weight in social commentary will tell you; this happens when you rely on a natural resource such as oil for wealth. Oil brings in a lot of foreign income (the naira appreciates, other Nigerian products such as our agricultural goods can no longer compete with the rest of our region. Hence they lose income and interest and become redundant). In order to protect Nigeria from the inevitable onslaught of cheap imports (as our own good are too expensive and all we produce cheaply now is oil) we set up quotas. These quotas are the beginning of the end of morality in any nation. Especially in a nation that they quotas are desperately needed to sustain their other industries (farming, fishing, etc…. I think prostitution may be immune to the threat of imports… but then again Nigerian women can’t compete with the rest of the west African coast line in terms of looks. And those women are probably more desperate. Hence they may be cheaper too. I guess there is more reasons to why we deported 1 million Ghanaians in 1983 than what meets the eye. I digress). People will start to smuggle stuff in. Public property will be sold at giveaway prices (one of the economic definations of corruption). Oil can only employ so many people. Mostly cracka ass crackers (white people) as the average Gari drinking naija man wont have a clue what to do on an oil rig. As everyone has gone to ‘Lagos’ to find a ‘better life’ (shame on you Miriam Babangida) the farms are neglected. They find no work in ‘Lagos’ and they turn to crime.
A sad situation to see. We were not born corrupt. We were cursed with it when we found our biggest blessing: Oil.
https://nelsonabbey.wordpress.com/
PS- I know the many typos in my rant don’t reflect well on the continent but writings whilst loafing is pretty hard. Bless.
Sorry to join in late but I would start by linking to a very interesting report by Human Rights Watch I spent a good part of last week reading. It’s an easy read and very self explanatory. I believe everyone that is passionate about the Nigerian problem would get a kick out of it.
Reiterating again with others, I fully agree that Corruption is the underlying problem in Nigeria. Sadly it is so ingrained in the society that in everyday life Nigerians have taken and accepted corruption as a way of life. It’s the canker worm that has established itself in every aspect of the Nigerian life.
Truthfully, Nigerians cannot relate to what ‘normalcy’ or a life without corruption is like. I agree fully with Nelson Abbey’s take,
‘We were not born corrupt. We were cursed with it when we found our biggest blessing: Oil.’
To tackle corruption I think it would be expedient to define again ‘what corruption is’ from the Nigerian perspective. It’s a discussion that should involve all aspects of the Nigerian society. We need to truthfully and publicly point out how far this corruption disease has rooted itself in society.
The EFCC is a good start, although it’s not the best solution it could get better if they are not infected by the Nigerian corruption disease. Sadly again, it’s a possibility that they’ll go down just another corruptible agency in Nigeria. I doubt they have the capcity to solve the problem.
The same way NGOs are running after the HIV/AIDS bandwagon, why can’t we as Nigerians set up Non-governmental institutions that publicly hold the government, politicians and leaders accountable to the Nigerian people? I use the terms government, politicians and leaders loosely but I refer to and include everyone in a decision making positions
Still, take out corruption and then comes Accountability: who are Nigerians accountable to? How can we show effectively that we are accountable to our people? How do we prove that we are for the people and not for our pockets? Corruption and Accountability go hand in hand. We would have to ‘rewire’ the thinking of Nigerians, and this I mean the everyday people and everyday life to get corruption out. Ouch, tough job right?
Maybe if we boldly start these discussions and make them a part of the everyday Nigerian News wires…it would reorient the thinking of Nigerians…hmmm
We have long ways to go to remove this cause but if we don’t start tackling it from the roots it would continue to follow us.
I forgot the Human Right Watch link...
http://www.hrw.org/reports/2007/nigeria0107/
Is correction a problem or just a by product of a failed system. i will be back with my opinion on this topic.
@Omodudu
It's a vicious cycle. A failed system leads to corruption, corruption leads to a failed system and it all gets intertwined and oft. difficult to separate. Some economists have even argued that bureaucracy can be too rigid and inefficient so corruption can help solve the problem posed by bureaucratic inefficiencies.
The problem then becomes, if corruption is a viable substitution to bad governance, Government then has an incentive to be bad and create more 'red tapes' to acquire private benefits from corruption. In that case, how can you argue that corruption led to bad governance or that bad governance led to corruption?
They're all intertwined. People basically enter Government even after studying medicine in universities so they can get some of these economic rents generated by corruption. It is a vicious cycle, who knows exactly when it started and when it will end?...I read some journal article a while back that basically suggested that it was during the oil boom that things went out of control. You know, when Shagari had the guts to pay the salaries of public officials in some Caribbean countries I believe.
So yeah a failed system breeds corruption but corrupt oublic officials can deliberately set up a failed system so they can collect rents from corruption. You get it?
I don't think Nilla got the source of corruption right. I believe it started from the high places and became acceptable at the lower levels. If there are no examples on top, the lower ranks have nothing to follow.
It's the same thing with the guy who refuses to pay tax here because he believes all sums are being misappropriated. There are no examples. The draconian warlords, Idiagbon and Buhari, had everyone hopping in line once because they 'seemingly' set an example of non-corrupt leadership.
You can't tell the gateman here not to take bribes since everyone else does.
I agree with Nelson. The EFCC is considered a tool for the ruling government now because those in favour never get 'EFCCd'.
Donzman might have gotten it right with his 'vicious circle' hypothesis
@ Mr. Abbey: You're right. If the EFCC wanted to demonstrated its independence from Obasanjo, Babangida would be in Kiri Kiri. Howver, I wonder if the fact that he is still a free man is also an illustration of the infancy of Nigeria's democratic system? Is it better to allow certain Big Boys to go 'scott free' until the government gains its feet? Think of Chile and the immunity given to Pinochet and his cronies as a negotiation tool to wrestle democracy from the military. Please stop by with more thoughts on the country you 'claim' to not give a rat's ass about. You and I both know you care more than you suggested.
@ Dee: Thanks for pointing us to the HRW document. Will check it out this weekend. I agree with you that Nigerian Corruption must be defined. Only then will we, as a people, be able to effectively, tackle it. I am hoping that on some level, this is a starting point. Nilla noted 'favors' and 'business' and its like the US Supreme Court's inability to clearly define pornography except for a "I know it when I see it" approach.
Like yourself and many others, I am concerned that the EFCC, which should be beyond repproach,has lost credibility and will eventually become infected by the disease it sought to cure. I realize that the mere perception by a significant amount of Nigerians that the EFCC is a tool of Obasanjo's has defeated the very reasonit was created. Anyway, we all have to start somewhere and stumble and fall. As a believer in the relevancy of institutions for the development and strengthening of democracy and democratic principles, I can only hope that future governments will not shy away from the need to tackle corruption via institutions that are stronger and better than EFCC.
@Omodudu: Your question is important and I cannot wait to hear your thoughts.
@ Donzman: Your vicious cycle approach got me thinking. I wonder if the 'system' had obviously failed when corruption began to seep in like a virus seeps into a body. Or, was the failure not clear at the time? I think that the seeds of what we now know as Nigerian corruption were probably planted when our people thought things were good and were excited about the future. Thus, if logic follows, the failure to properly create the foundation for a seriously strong and secure government is what caused Nigerian corruption as we know it today. I am not educated enough on this issue to determine how this failure initially occured. It (failure to create foundation for strong & good government) could have been a result of the serious tensions that were necessary to create Nigeria when the brits determined who would make up Nigeria. Our fathers (and mothers) had to make serious concessions to gain independence and might not have been able, at the time, to create the necessary foundation. Consequently, we have never quite dealt with the issues this raises for various reasons. Anyway, it is 2:30am and I apologize if I am not efficiently expressing my point.
Nevertheless, this could still be a chicken vs. egg issue as to which came first (failed government or corruption). We might never truly know.
@ Laspapi: It is reasonable to assume that corruption, as we know it today, started at the top with the 'Big Boys'. But if I may take the liberty of disagreeing with you, Nilla may be on to something. (Of course, I am sure she will eventually take the time to expand upon her comment regarding the source of Nigerian corruption and do not assume to know which way she will go.)
Her comment got me thinking that aspects of our culture could be a source of corruption. As far as I am concerned there are multiple factors that played a part in creating the monster (please see my response to Donzman on failure to create foundation for a strong and effective government). Culture is a part of it and that goes beyond those at the top, making those at the bottom (and in-between), co-conspiraors. Our culture is great and wonderful, but I think aspects of it were and have been manipulated into something grotesque and disreputable. Unfortunately, it is now 2:45am so I will have to turn away from this computer and sleep on it. I'll be back in about 5 hours with more. Please feel free to drop some more knowledge in the interim.
SOLOMONSYDELLE,
I was refering to the generic 'white man' that doesn't give a 'rats ass' about Nigeria. As for me, I sleep on green and white bedsheets. I'm down by law and love. (Where my nigerian ladies at?!...at the plastic surgeon's i hope. I'm just playing sisters.)
I wrote a thesis on Nigeria a few years back. Here is a link to my conclusion (http://rapidshare.com/files/15815771/Part_7.doc.html). The thesis (my dissertation actually, which i got a 1st Class for) was called 'Oil and The Nigerian Economy: A Gifted Curse?". It sums up my thinking on this issue.
For more mental conditioning and propaganda of this nature please visit: http://nelsonabbey.wordpress.com/
@ Laspapi,
Me and you again not agreeing.....lol
"You can't tell the gateman here not to take bribes since everyone else does."
So can we then say that we can't tell the leaders in high places not to be corrupt, when every one there is corrupt?
That's why I didn't agree with you on your post on blaming all our problems on the leaders.
In a way I agree with Donzman that it's a vicious circle.
Corruption is so in bred in our system, that not being corrupt almost makes you abnormal (cos everyone else is doing it).
So it's either we choose to break the circle, or we live with it and stop complaining.
It is ridiculous, take Rivers state for example, their budget is bigger than most other small African countris and even most West African countries yet the peopl have nothing. No water, no roads, no schools.
EFCC is good and bad, its good as long as you are pro OBJ, go against him and u become easy scape goat.
Which way Nigeria??
Solo'delle said "Our culture is great and wonderful, but I think aspects of it were and have been manipulated into something grotesque and disreputable"-
Our culture? How did culture bring corruption into our midst? That is the fabric that holds us together as a people, nothing else. Are we now working on the premise that other cultures are better than ours? And if so, which ones?
Before the advent of the white man, there were checks and balances in existence here in Yoruba land. The Igbos had a form of confederation that worked for them and the hausas, their feudalism. (nilla, forgive me for the lack of south-south examples)The colonialists brought 'incentives', deposed strong rulers and imposed stooges, and we haven't looked back since then as we strive to break all existing records in corruption.
Our (various)cultures and systems of governance had no extraordinary problems and had worked for many centuries before they were tampered with.
Maybe I got Solo'delle's meaning wrong?
Mr. Laspapi: You clearly did not understand my suggestion, but that is understandable as I spent my weekend relaxing with family and not actively blogging. I could have taken the time to clarify my comment. That being said, let's do so now by reviewing the specific quote you referred to -
"Our culture is great and wonderful, but I think aspects of it were and have been manipulated into something grotesque and disreputable."
Nowhere did I state that our culture is THE cause of corruption. I did, however, attempt to point out that our culture, in my opinion, plays a part in the problem of corruption. Culturally, we are a very flamboyant people. I will even go as far as to say that we don’t encourage humility as a collective. We publicly flaunt our wealth and our prowess and exalt those who have such attributes, whether good or bad. While this might have been fine, back in the day, such an attitude can and does encourage a ‘Keeping Up With The Joneses’ mentality where we strive to outdo each other. This can eventually lead to some individuals breaking the rules a little bit at a time in order to achieve the success they seek to portray to others. When Mr. A figures out how Mr. B broke the rules to build his fancy mansion and also notices that Mr. B. is not in jail, Mr. A will simply tell himself ‘Man must chop’ and break a few rules himself. With that, the cycle begins.
In general, our culture does not particularly encourage questioning our elders or those that must be treated with respect. What happens when those people are the same ones who empty the national coffers for their personal benefit and our national detriment? We all turn a blind eye and call them ‘Alaye Baba’ when they drive by in their Maybachs despite the clear and obvious abuse of power. We all also notice that Alaye Baba is not in jail and flies between Lagos and Switzerland, where his kids are in boarding school and we think to ourselves, ‘Man must chop’ and start chopping wherever and whenever we can.
Anyway, despite your strong objection, I am not the first to acknowledge a link between culture and corruption. Studies in Italy have concluded that corruption is prevalent in cultures that encourage strong family relationships, coupled with other additional factors, of course. (Banfield (1958)) Additionally, other scholars have determined that corruption is also prevalent in cultures that place emphasis on financial achievement and/or success yet fail to provide adequate means to achieve such goals. (Sound familiar?) (SOCIAL THEORY AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE by Merton, R. (1968)). Consequently, there is empirical data to support this last point and it can be found in Lipset, Seymour Martin, and Gabriel Salman Lenz, Corruption, Culture, and Markets, in Culture Matters, Lawrence E. Harrison, and Samuel P. Huntington, eds.
Back to the quote you referred to, I also mentioned that aspects of our culture had been “manipulated into something grotesque and disreputable.” That implies that initially, there was a time when our culture did not have the aspects I now consider grotesque or disreputable. Where and when things went wrong, well please refer to my chicken vs. egg statement to Donzman. At no point was there even a hint of a suggestion that Nigeria’s culture is inferior to any other. It is simply unique and like all others has its negatives and positives. Again, my point is that aspects of who we are, culturally, contributed and continue to contribute to the menace that is Nigerian corruption.
As to whether our various tribal cultures didn’t have problems before the British came, well that is clearly a discussion for another day. I can inform you that I am not convinced that we lived in a utopian society. I also, do not feel the need to blame anybody (I.e. Brits and other European colonialists) for the trouble we are in now. That of course, does not mean that there are no rational reasons to place blame on others for their actions or inactions. Despite this, regardless of who, how or why we have issues, the fact remains that we, and no one else, have these issues. Therefore, it is our responsibility to seek a solution. And that is all I am trying to do, seek a solution by first considering the possible factors that caused the malaise, in this case - corruption, in the first place.
Like I mentioned before, please feel free to drop some knowledge on us.
Ms. Solomonsydelle-
I couldn't stop asking questions after reading your reply.
Empirical evidence? Merton? Lipset? Seymour Martin?
After two Masters degrees from the provincial University of Lagos, you'll have to excuse my 'cultural' approach to life. There, they teach all aspects, no matter how comparative, from a distinctly African angle and its the only way I see things.
Did the empirical evidence gathered in these European studies take the Nigerian traditional factor into cognisance? Does an African who scores lowly in the Western-biased I.Q. test have a chance at being considered intelligent?
"Studies in Italy have concluded that corruption is prevalent in cultures that encourage strong family relationships". Studies in Italy? Only non-Africans could have reached a conclusion like that. Are these studies absolute? Are their findings conclusive on the African 'problem'? The Strong Family relationship is what differentiates the African from the races that send their young from home at age 16, breaking ties for ever. And this is the prototype for Nigeria? We adapt ourselves to other cultures?
You wrote, "Culturally, we are a very flamboyant people. I will even go as far as to say that we don’t encourage humility as a collective. We publicly flaunt our wealth and our prowess and exalt those who have such attributes, whether good or bad."-
Is this part of our culture? Is this our tradition here? If you stand by that, there's nothing left to say.
Some how the topic of discussion has firmly shifted from the center piece discussion of corruption and politics to defining linkages between culture/tradition and corruption.
Alas, I have no degrees or acada to drop the awesome lines that ‘laspapi and ‘Solomonsydelle’ have been dazing me with…despite this I would say a thing or two.
After I read all your entries somehow I couldn’t help thinking about back in the day when the number of wives you marry or number of children you have is a sign or show of wealth…just for my personal clarification, do we define this as culture/tradition?
Typically, back in the day, our folks will marry an extra wife to have one wife more than his neighbor or fellow relative…at least I know this is true for my grand-father!
Nigerians just always want to out do the next person. Somehow that innate competitor that was born in everyman was given to Nigerians a hundred times over.
Yes I agree with Solomonsydelle,
“We publicly flaunt our wealth and our prowess and exalt those who have such attributes, whether good or bad."-
This life of pretence on the show of wealth is sadly what Nigerians live by up till this very moment. You are defined by where you live or how big your house is; where you work or how well paid your ‘job title’ sounds; what kind of car you drive or how many cars you own; trips and travels you make, your connections or who you know where, and the normal stuff like clothes, shoes etc. The latest to this list, the funniest and my personal best is the type and number of cell phones you have. The competition gets so hard!
Nigerians will do anything, to keep up with the jonses…case point the root of corruption.
Why won’t corruption flourish in a society that is built on such?
The cycle continues
Yes ‘donzman’ I totally agree, corruption flourished as a result of the oil boom and from the current thread of discussion, it may have be planted in/rooted with that part of our culture to out do the next man.
I’d love to expand my knowledge on the above so I’d be reading the links provided and more…even nelson abbeys thesis
Back to our Government and politics: I’m moving along in the lines of accountability structures.
Once again I ask, Accountability: who are Nigerians accountable to? How can we show effectively that we are accountable to our people? How do we prove that we are for the people and not for our pockets? Corruption and Accountability go hand in hand.
Lets discuss on this thread.
@ Dee
I'm not sure I understand your question "Who are Nigerians accountable to?"
@ everyone: I am glad to see that we are all very passionate about the issues. Such passion is exactly what Nigeria will need to change direction for the better. So that being said, let us continue to passionately and articulately express our ideas and visions for change. Even if that means that we will agree to disagree on certain things.
That being said, @ Mr. Laspapi: I see you continue to disagree and you raise question about the sources I quoted. In order to further the conversation, if you so desire, please feel free to provide your explanation for why you disagree with my culture:corruption suggestion. Your statements suggest that because the sources I quoted are non-Nigerian, or did not specifically study Nigeria, they cannot be accurate. Assuming that you are correct, I must note that I got these sources from papers written by Nigerians (Victor Dike, is one). Nevertheless, if you have other sources that you think would be more credible or accurate, do share.
As to your point on the potential distinction between culture and tradition. I personally see traditions as being a part of one's culture.
@ Dee: I am glad that you raise the issue of accountability because many will argue that the lack of accountability is why corruption is rampant in Nigeria. I assume that by "Who are Nigerians accountable to?" you mean our leaders and elected officials, because as Nilla noted, the statement may not be clear.
It is obvious that despite democracy, we are yet to have a system that requires accountability from elected officials. My hope is that this will change as Nigerians continue to exercise their rights and begin to realize that we deserve and must demand better of our leaders and officials. With time and continued effort, things must change.
By this I mean all Nigerians, especially those in decision making positions. Be it our ministers, politicians, directors, chiefs…our doctors, lawyers, professors; anyone that makes a decision that would affect one or more people.
Who are they accountable to? The people they claim they serve or their pockets and the people that benefit from their pockets?
Simply, do our decision makers feel responsible for the welfare of the common man? Seeing that its the common man that lives on less than $2 a day. Or are they responsible just to their society…I use this term loosely but I mean their peers, family and people in their circles
In our height of corruption we have forgotten the people, the beneficiaries, the populace.
They have no structures to publicly hold their decision makers accountable and for the most part do not realize that they need to or its their civil rights to do so.
Wish I could say more but I have a really busy day and need to run off
The state of being completely subject to someone more powerful is still widespread in Nigeria today, the people have been conditioned to servitude and as such hail the next person that brings the "cola". Nigeria's corruption problems need a different type of effort which people are yet to address, it is not either or, it is a combination of everything.
We know corruption is a worldwide phenomenon and we also know that, our country has a nice chunk of it (19th from bottom?). How about turning our corruption into benefits for all Nigerians? Why fight corruption? How about moving forward with it? Can we use corruption to create cities with low crime, little threat from instability or terrorism and a highly developed transport and communications infrastructure?
PhDs & MBAs have been useful but the rains still turn Lagos into a mess and the Niger Delta is still a hellhole. Kano & Kaduna is empty of world class anyhthing! OBJ came and went but his farms still make money and his library project is still alive. Never has a strong FGN been more necessary in these dangerous times, not that this new one should do everything. FGN should legislate, regulate and provide the funds, but leave the doing to others. The culture of "The blind leading the clueless" belonged in the past and it should stay there. Let us help to create a society where accountability and transparency are the only words. Publish everything! On the web! Everyday!
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