In their little but insightful book, A Theory of Corruption, Osvaldo Schenone and Samuel Gregg claimed that “There is perhaps no greater problem that handicaps the flourishing of developing nations than that of corruption.”

One of the immanent genetic defects that have stunted the growth of Nigeria was the duplicitous political inequality between the North and the South created by the departing British administrators.

It is time once again for the ruling class to celebrate Nigeria’s independence. Indeed, activities to that effect commenced last Sunday when President Goodluck Jonathan attended an interdenominational church service that day, although the event got to its omega point yesterday, October 1, when the country became 51 years old. Evidently, for the average Nigerian to get to 51 years in this country is an achievement, considering the fact that latest estimates of life expectancy for men and women are below 50 years.

In every aspect of life- education, employment, healthcare, housing, nutrition, interpersonal relationships, and general well-being – the spirit of selfless service is extremely important. Even simple kindness to a stranger in need is an act of selfless service.

As individuals we live in a social world which makes sense to us, and we rely on our ideas through consensus with those around us. The worldviews we create are existential maps which fulfil their psychological functions by orienting us properly in the world.

The theme of our philosophical exploration today is very appropriate at this critical time in the history of Nigeria, in particular, and the situation of the world, in general. The April 2011 elections have ended, and there is widespread consensus that the entire process was satisfactory. Of course, there were incidences of electoral malpractices in different parts of the country.

Specifically, memories of the traumatic years of 1985 to 1993 have faded because of the solvent of time, whereas Obasanjo’s failures (and successes) are more vivid in our imagination due to the fact that his tenure ended just four years ago, in 2007.

The book under review ends in chapter 10 entitled “A much needed gap?” In it, the author examines the purported psychological benefits of religion. Sometimes it is argued that there is a God-shaped lacuna in the human brain which has to be filled, that we have a psychological need for an imaginary friend, father, big brother, confessor, and confidant – God.

Dawkins provides an interesting account of the origin of religion. He began by explaining why, for example, moths fly into the candle flame, which seems like suicide (p.201). Dawkins argues that before human beings invented artificial light, the only available sources of illumination in the night scene were the moon and the stars. At optical infinity, these celestial objects are suitable for insects to use as compasses.

Dawkins discussed an experiment led by Dr. Herbert Benson and funded by the Templeton Foundation, to test whether praying for sick people actually improves their health (p. 86-88). The results showed that there was no measurable difference between the recovery rate of those that received intercessory prayers and those that didn’t. But there was a difference between patients who knew that they had been prayed for and those who did not know one way or the other: the former group suffered significantly more complications than the latter.

Sometime last year, President Goodluck Jonathan launched the “Bring Back the Book” project, an initiative that seeks to encourage the reading culture in Nigerians. Probably in a future essay, I will dissect the negative consequences of dwindling reading culture even among the so-called educated class.

Since Nigerians are unwilling to engage in radical, non-violent, socio-political praxis, members of the ruling elite assume that the people can endure anything, provided they manage to eke out a miserable living.