NIGERIAN CORRUPTION STORY-------UNTOLD; Hypocritical Justification

The Nigerian state and her public opinion drive or her bid to create a personae that truly represent the giant of Africa and to a very large extent the glory days, but one begs to wonder has there ever been a glory days?
I beg to ask this question because it is the so-called decision that was made in the 50’s that greatly influenced the events of the 70’s and how Nigerians of the time saw themselves. Also, the events of the 70’s went a long way influencing our current existence as Nigerians---from the 90’s to this current dispensation politically and economically as a nation.
There is a very bad precedence that has been set for us by some of our so-called celebrated heroes because we can’t be living a legacy that wasn’t handed to us. Corruption has been defined by various scholars, ideological facet, and sentiments but I dare to say that the very fabric of the Nigerian society is a breeding ground for corruption, our pre-colonial understanding of leadership is by far very different from what the colonialist introduce to us.
The reason why corruption may linger for a while can be traced to the short cut mentality that an average Nigerian has developed over time as a means to surviving in the so-called harsh environment that same Nigerians create for themselves. The most disturbing and anomalia of this situation is that an average Nigerian don’t see anything wrong with the situation when they are in the benefitting end but cry foul if the odds turn, for the people of faith they see it as favour and grace or sheer smartness for those who are of no faith.
The fact that I have not mentioned the government would to some school of thought be an incomplete or partial position, but in retrospect we all know that if those outside the curtain of power can get their act right only then than can they point accusing fingers to the government demanding their right. One thing that needs to be of note is that no government is corrupt only citizens are corrupt (citizens who control and citizens who are controlled). The so-called ordinary Nigerian are more corrupt than even some of the government official, some of the government official are even more principled, honest and devoted than they are given more credit to. There are politicians or government officials who are sometimes bullied for not living large or extending the proverbial long hand, they (Ordinary Nigerians) are in a way pulling the hands of these politician to steal from government coffers to live an extravagant life. This is a mindset of Africans; a leader is supposed to be affluent and extravagant, which does not agree with the tenet of modern day democracy.
Corruption in Africa especially in Nigeria is ‘corruption’ if it is in their favour and that is why every form of fight against corruption is seen either as false, worthless or hypocritical. Who are we then to blame-----I don’t want to totally dwell on the idea of blaming the government because they have in a way tried their best.
Looking at the electioneering process of the Nigerian state you will see that it is greatly flawed not because the institution do not have all the legal parameters in place, but the Nigerian factor always steps in, you see individuals manning the prestigious positions of conducting the election failing the integrity test. The citizens also piteously and selfishly compromising for paltry sum of money given them by politicians who know that their constituent prefer ‘the eat today and forget tomorrow lifestyle’ then capitalize on the greed and corrupt tendencies of their people to create chaos and live in grandeur of the loot. Who will have the moral justification to question when they also have a skeleton of corruption and greed in their closet. The Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) that is mounted with the responsibility of conducting Nigeria’s election is designed to be independent but the Nigerian nature we are talking about will always jeopardize the situation else why would an Academic in the professorial level put his/her integrity to question when given the authority of monitoring the election in Nigeria, stooping so low to collecting bribe that may never make them among the richest in the country. You beg to wonder why all these, also not easily forgetting the inhuman treatment that was meted on Corp members by constituent because of the tribalistic and religious sentiment they posit as their right as a people, which we all know is morally flawed if the country must move forward.
In a bid to try to highlight the issue of election you will think it is the worse but try the public and civil service. So many Nigerian or non-Nigerians would agree with me that the middle level of the government’s public and civil service is a pond breeding diverse forms of corruption. You get to experience various form of compromise and breach of ethics and you beg to wonder, is there a code of conduct of the service. Yes! The headquarters in Abuja may be following the code because all eyes are on them but that can’t be said for the state and local level of the public/civil service. Public and Civil servant use every means to extort money from citizens either by literally begging or by forcing those in need of the service to pay, blackmailing them with the same service that is supposed to be free, and a constitutional right. This sector of the government is filled with Nigerians who are living and breathing corruption, bigotry, and unprofessionalism. Some school of thought would disagree with the centralistic approach of this piece but it is important that I mention it unapologetically. Nigerians have become so corrupt that some degree of corruption is no longer seen as corruption-------and the syndrome which I call the Hypocritical Justification still push us to always keep denying what is truth and this has been the norm since Nigeria became a country. This sector, which is meant to be the engine room where the policies of government are executed, tends to be the hub where the face of government is bastardized. A scenario where civil servant report to work late and sign to have been there at the approved time, not to talk of those who will not be around at all to perform their duties but escape supervision and penalization. Can it still be said that it was the government or the people; it can’t be denied that government has put the plans in place but the people is the problem.
It cannot be argued when it is said that educations steers civilization but in the case of Nigeria’s education, it is seen as a ticket to a comfortable life (A life of consumptions and less creation). The government would make policies, issue out executive orders to make the educational system of the country better but it is audible to the deaf and visible to the blind that the same people it was meant for have always sabotaged it. How can one explain the situation where a parent who is suppose to fight for a true and astute education for a child is colluding with principals and some school management to involve in what I call Episcopal Examination Malpractice where the answers are literally written on the board for the students to copy. They want to see their children have distinctions that they don’t merit and can’t defend. It is a cause to wonder because a lot of people would not see this as corruption because all the mentioned front is profiteering from it. This is just the middle level of education what about the tertiary and it is quickly spreading to the primary educational level, and students no longer put their all into being learned anymore because they now know there is an easy way out and the society has come to accept it as norm. Yet you see people complain hypocritically why the country’s educational sector is churning out graduate that are half-baked or at all not qualified, this is a menace that is not alien to them, but none can come out and push for a stop because most have benefitted in one way or the other from this curse.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the Nigerian problem is not a structural or institutional problem but a mindset problem. There is too much hypocrisy going around and it is funny that most persons feel others do not see their share of the hypocrisy as he/she sees in them. Countless of time the global world has recognised Nigeria as a country with great wealth and potentials and you wonder why is Nigeria still this way. The fact of the matter, the driving force of this thought is not in any way trying to blackmail the Nigerian state nor is it trying to make it sound as if there is no good in the Nigerian state, of course there good in Nigeria. There are people struggling everyday to make sure the perception of Nigeria in the international community changes for the better, but the fact must be stated so that Nigerians can become aware that they have a problem and work towards achieving greatness as a nation collectively. The lots of Nigerians that feel what the country have is a leadership problem should come to the realisation that it isn’t, because you have the right to choose your leaders and the leaders that were chosen would offer what they can----if he/she is worthy of the position he/she would perform worthily and vice versa.
Nigeria is a great nation that knows her problem, have the tools to solving but is not solving it because the will to solve it is not there.