NIGERIA: CORRUPTION IN FLAGRANTE DELICTO -Fitzkhamees, Khamis A. H.

NIGERIA: CORRUPTION IN FLAGRANTE DELICTO
-Fitzkhamees, Khamis A. H.
“The fight for justice against corruption is never easy. It never has been and will never be. It exacts a toll on our self, our family, our friends, and especially our children. In the end, I believe as in my case, the price is worth holding on to our dignity.” These are the words of Frank Serpico.
The term, corruption has become an albatross of our beloved country. We openly claim to love Nigeria, but behind closed doors we are its enemies that hinder its achievements as a developing country. We made Nigeria a parcel of international mockery in the sense that the even our colonial masters, the Great Britain, whom we tender great reverence closed its eyes and put away the shame and homage we pay to them to label us one of the two of the most corrupt countries in the world. This had been reported by Independent and Guardian newspapers and so many others. Here is the version of the story reported by Independent newspaper UK: “David Cameron (British PM) calls Nigeria and Afghanistan the ‘two most corrupt countries in the world’. ‘We’ve got the leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain. Tuesday 10 May 2016 14:16 BST.”
I happened to lay my hand on a Journal, Journal of Humanity University of Jos some months ago. As I flipped through the pages my eyes caught the sight of the best definition of corruption as far as my knowledge is concerned. It defined corruption as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gains”. I cannot make a reference here because I am now in school and the Journal is at home. The Encyclopaedia Britannica defined corruption thus: “Improper and usually unlawful conduct intended to secure a benefit for oneself. It forms include bribery, extortion, and the misuse of inside information. It exists where there is community indifference or lack of enforcement policies. In societies with cultures of gift giving, the line between acceptable and unacceptable gifts is often hard to draw.”
We are no better than our corrupt leaders: to a fault we are worse than them. Corruption flows in blood as we often say. To all intents and purpose our political institutions, academic institutions, family institutions, religious institutions, our cities and our villages are no saints as regards corruption. It is only that we denounce to death our own share of the blame. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam said: “Where do the evils of corruption arise from? It comes from the never-ending greed. The fight for corruption free ethical society will have to be fought against this greed and replace it with “what can I give” spirits.”
The maxim, ‘youths are the leaders of tomorrow’ is the very truth none can deny. But the youths are corrupt before getting to the mantle of leadership, what do you think when they get to power? I believed they become more corrupt. Imaging, in a scholarship scheme a question is asked “are you a beneficiary of any other scholarship?” and most of the students responded “no” where as they are beneficiaries of other scholarships. They answered in the negative because they fear they will not be given if they said the truth. Some people may desire to know the corruption I am referring to in this action of the students, it is simple, they were entrusted to say the truth and they breached this trust. And we must never forget, corruption is the abuse of trust for personal gains. Paul Wolfowitz said: “Corruption is showed by shedding light into what was previously shadowed”.
I read a parable forwarded to me by a friend. In it a said head-teacher asked a class teacher to collect fee for a class photo, the class teacher increased the amount and the pupils also increased the amount on telling their mother who also increased the amount as she told their father. How do you expect the leaders to be credible and responsible in such a society? Unless if they were not born and raised in that society. We need to change our mind-sets in a jiffy. Corruption is a disease of the mind and the cure is at our discretion. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam said: “If a country is to be corruption free and become a nation of beautiful minds. I strongly feel there are these key societal members who can make a difference. They are the Father, the Mother, and the Teacher.”
Our academic institutions are no exceptions: they are now corruption squares. Somebody I know experienced a form of these greed in one of our universities, he took his credential to the faculty for signature and it was not signed after a week or so. The secretary at the office told him to bring a beverage if he wants his credential signed with the pretext that ‘signing authority’ is always stuffed with work and there are other credentials inches high and the beverage will be used to cool him. Lo and behold the credential was signed after he gave in. I wonder what percent of his/her salary is the cost of the bottle of a drink: GREED. Other rampant corruption practices include students writing tests/exams for others, Sex for grades, Money for grades, sales of hand outs, and the disguised corrupt practice, NEPOTISM, one of the worsts as corruption is the illegitimate use trust and power.
Why shall we have a corruption free system when we are corrupt there in? We do involve in corruption in a way or another yet we forget ours and look at others’. We have the hope of leading tomorrow so let change begins with us and then we will be able to change the system in tandem.
To be continued
#change begins with me. #I stand with Nigeria.