THE media are awash daily with news of corruption in most places in Nigeria. The details vary, but they are all about public officers who have perfected schemes that funnel public resources to their private uses.
Some concerns have been raised about corruption and how wide spread it might be in the society. Suspects include federal, state and local government officials.
Their responsibilities range from electricity to education, with a minor difference being in the size of the accused’s greed.
No sector of the country’s life is shielded from these practices and this should worry all those who have the interest of the country at heart.
How can the situation be arrested when it is a common practice among those who are entrusted to serve the people?
Sometimes the National Assembly is mentioned. However, the legislature is a close circuit system that has a way of covering up for its members.
While it is an issue in the media that members of the House of Representatives want accountability for millions of Naira spent on their annual retreat and the 10 years of democratic rule, it becomes obvious with time that when legislators accuse each other, the interests are as selfish as those of the people initially accused of tampering with funds.
Many questions arise from these abuses. Why are laws that are meant to safeguard public funds inoperative? Is stealing such a profitable venture that people are no longer ashamed to soil their names?
Do the punishments for the huge sums of money that are said to be stolen match the offences, in relation to impact of the stolen funds on the lives of Nigerians? Why do people still indulge in corruption knowing the scandals that follow when they are caught?
Factors that promote corruption include recognition society accords people whose source of wealth is suspicious. Others are the stupendous amounts these criminals steal, often enough to hire the best lawyers and corrupt the judiciary, if the need arises, and gain control of legislative houses to make laws that target corruption are ineffectual.
The league of corrupt former governors, ministers and the like is actively accepting new members. The attraction is that this elite group is above the law, pollutes the system and ensures that those who enforce the law, do so after considering the league’s interests.
Off springs of this league inhabit most of the Government Houses in the country, from where they rein in the legislature and judiciary to please their bosses.
The prosecution has worsened matters. At all levels, there is a rush to show government is fighting corruption, without deepening the resources with which to amass evidence to earn convictions in court. This seems a ploy to free suspects.
Corruption thrives because those engaged in it are no losers. Their footprints are everywhere as the nation’s greatest statesmen.
Nigeria’s dwindling resources cannot sustain the current size of corruption, in case the authorities were looking for a reason to curb corruption.
The “Size of Corruption” in Nigeria is so large that only God can save the nation. I urge the readers to visit http://www.antigraft.wordpress.com to read reports of corruption, injustice and financial crime committed by National Universities Commission Abuja.
The matter has severally been reported to EFCC, ICPC and Federal Ministry of Information & Communication. But up till this day the government agencies have not done the right thing according to the public statutes!
Therefore the “Size of Corruption” is so large that we need to pray to God, if this nation must survive, otherwise the ship of this nation will sink under the weight of endemic official corruption.
Dear Editor,Nigeria is a failed state.To get her back from the doldrums, we should be pragmatic in proffering solutions.Everybody talks about fighting corruption but how feasible is that in a country where corruption has been institutionalized?As the saying goes,every man has his price,all of us complaining bitterly now,if we are given the opportunity to have a substantial part of the “national cake”,let he that will turn it down come out;Nobody.
The ONLY solution to Nigeria’s problem is free and fair election.When an administration is messing up and becomes aware of it’s unpopularity and is dead sure it will be voted out,the lust for power will make it rethink and strive to perform.You can imagine during Obasanjo’s administration when states were negotiating minimum wage with labour,a governor from the south west,realizing his unpopularity because of failure to accept the desired minimum wage,came out openly to tell labour union that he does not need there vote to win a second term and truly during the election,he and his baba laid horror on opposition parties,brutalized electorates casting votes for opposition parties while having the support of uncle Sege at Abuja.
Free and fair election gives the helmsman liberty to adopt right policies as there will be no godfather that will lay claim on his emergence;We even hear cases of god fathers taking the intending governor to shrine to take oath that he must put them first before electorates.So nigerians should be thinking how to combat electoral fraud not grafts,especially we youths,a semi-educated or even stark illiterate with a right orientation can help fight electoral fraud at least at the polling center but cannot go to NNPC headquarters to
combat graft.Having achieved that,healthy competition in successive elections will produce visionary leaders that will rise above looting.