CORRUPTION: Hard Nut To Crack

by Anyanwu Fortune Onyedikachi

Corruption is an endemic disease that has eaten up every facet of the Nigerian society. Corruption is the order of the day in our country today. This takes many forms and can be seen in many sectors of the country. The level of corruption is astronomical, corruption runs in the blood of every Nigerians. Nigeria is a house built on the sand of corruption, but regrettably its people expect it to withstand the calamities and afflictions that go with such quest.

Corruption has grown into an art in Nigeria; a grand art with many shapes and colors and tentacles spreading in multi-dimensional directions. Go north, go south, go east, go west; the story is the same. Nigeria does not have ten problems; Nigeria does not have nine problems or eight. Her problems are not six, five or four or three or two. Nigeria’s problems are one. And the name of those problems all put together is Corruption.

Many Nigerians will profess severally verbiages to convince themselves that they are not part of the Nigerian corruption. They convince themselves that things are not what they are and expunge fallacious claims to support every corrupt practice. The facts remains that Nigeria is corrupt by default. Irrespective of what you convince yourself to belief, the fact cannot be erased. Nigerians live, dine, and wine in corruption and these corruptions run from the leaders to the common man on the streets. The leaders steal and share the big money, while the rest steal and share the money left.

Everywhere you go is the same from the public sector to private institutions. Everyone readily participates in bribery. I cannot overemphasis the fact that we all need a radical change in our ways. We need determination and discipline to live corruption free life. Bribery and corruption have become part of our culture and ways of life. Corruption is now normal, if you can’t beat them, you better join them, they say. Nigeria has reached the climax of corruption; you either play by the rule or get sucked in forever. You are not allowed to say no to bribery and corruption, if you do, you may get down in their wheel of scandals.

The unfortunate predicament has got to a very dangerous level such that it now runs in every sector of the economy, from judiciary to legislature, executive to business, religion to education, health to power and many more. Nothing works on merit in Nigeria; you either pay for it or lose out on it.

Within the educational sector in Nigeria, especially from secondary to university levels, corruption is very pervasive and most of which is not in the public eye. Parents are known to have use orthodox means to influence their admission to federal government secondary school.

Remove corruption and there will be light everywhere in the country. Corruption is the reason our schools are in shambles. Corruption is the reason why there are no drugs in the hospitals. Also, corruption is one of the reason why there is so much insecurity in the land. It is because of corruption that the police cannot secure the citizen in his life and property. Corruption is the reason Boko  Haram, the armed robber are better equipped than the policemen in their chase. Corruption is the reason our factories are shut and our youths roam from our streets everyday in search of work that is nowhere to be found.

The primary purpose of government everywhere is the security and welfare of the citizen. In Nigeria this principle has been enshrined in section 14(2)(b) of our constitution. Any government therefore, that cannot secure the citizen in his life and property is not, and cannot be worth the name. It should lay no claim to the title, government. The fight against corruption must be the government primary function at all levels; be it federal, state or local until at least it is reduce to a minimum level.

To eliminate corruption, three professions are critical. The first is the profession of Law, the second is the computer profession and the third, accounting profession. While the legal profession will assist the legislative in enacting adequate laws to ensure success. It will also be necessary to provide technology and software to wage the war and build into our system those programs that will help eliminate corruption . Of course it will be the responsibility of the Accounting profession, the Accountant and Auditor to ensure those loopholes that fester the nest of corrupt leaders are closed.