CORRUPTION AS INDEX OF INSANITY IN NIGERIA
*(Modest Thoughts with Ayuba Yilgak'ha; September 4, 2022; SMS, 08116181263)*
In the community of sane people, it is only the activities of insanes who smuggled their way into the society that could trigger confusion, disorder and unrest. In other words, suspect the presence of mentality disoriented or distorted persons when the fibre of society suddenly collapsed. I learnt this lesson in terminus market, Jos, Plateau State.
That fateful day, I visited one of my book vendors and was enjoying time with him. The atmosphere was that of a busy market setting but not chaotic. All of a sudden, however, a lady emerged. She was looking relative sane but the action the lady exhibited soon began to manifest and exposed her insanity.
For no just cause, this said lady held a passer-by and began to wrestle with him. The man got angry, reacted and the woman became even more violent. This man was alerted that the lady might be crazy and he managed to sneaked away. The peaceful but bubbling atmosphere became chaotic as some passers-by who knew nothing about how it all started accused the man for fighting a woman as others who were yet to ascertain the mental condition of the lady rebuked her for her uncivil action.
The lady soon crossed to the other side of the road and before anything, she began to engage another street trader. She attempted scattering a table and pulled down the umbrella the innocent trader was using to sell his few goods. It became very clear at the this point that a mentally derailed person has entered the market. The poor trader she engaged this second time, got a long big stick around and came after the violent lunatic. She hurriedly left with great murmuring and only God knows how many people she will violently engage on her way to who knows where.
This was a life story and the narrative demostrated how an activity or activities of insanes or mad people amongst sane people could unsettle the balance of a peaceful community. To be mad is to be increasingly engaged in abnomal activity or behaviour that falls outside the realm or measure of normal conduct. Mental or social disorder could manifest in many ways and through different causes.
A man that has lost traction and lives outside the normal code of morality and ethical conduct is insane by every standard. For instance, anyone who has insatiable drive for primitive wealth accumulation could be suspected to be technically insane. In other words, corruption is an act of insanity within the framework and context of this discourse.
Corruption at the Institutional is of primary interest. Institutional corruption is all about accepting bribe to render public service(s) or looting public trust which could be in material or immaterial terms. It means distorting, disregarding and/or circumventing public rules to enrich or serve personal interest.
In view of the above background, it is necessary to draw the attention of readers to an anonymous piece I got on WhatsApp and feel the unedited copy be reproduced here for public consumption and reflection. This could help a great deal in driving home the main fibre of today's discussion. The article is titled, "A CITY OF THE MAD." With recognition and permission from the author, I share the fulltext as contained in the next few paragraphs.
"Contentment is the grace to stand up from the dinning table and look away from the food tray when your belly is full. But the Nigerian public official, although filled and belching with excess, would still hide stolen meat within the corners of his mouth at a dinner, stuff fried rice into his socks, and try to shuffle moinmoin into his shoes. Madness you say. But who else would steal 80 billion Naira except a mad fellow.
"I am no longer numbed at the numbers stolen in Nigeria, but I am terribly saddened by the titles of the armed robbers. Kemebradikumo Pondei, that dramatic NDDC acting managing director that fainted in court was a professor of medicine. A man trained to build, repair and even possibly manufacture life. Yet, he too got to table, and scooped jollof rice into his boxers.
"Do you know who Diezani Alison-Madueke was? No you don't. When ladies of her age were wishing and praying to be admitted to Shell Petroleum as typists or tea girls, she was already on the board of the company as an executive director. God gave her the bigger privilege of marrying Allison Madueke, a naval officer and former military governor of two states. She was a trained architect who transformed to become Nigeria's first female petroleum minister. Yet, despite these privileges, Diezani stole our barbequed fish and roasted yams, and hid them in her bra. Like a mad woman.
"You recollect that Jamb/NECO ex registrar, Dibu Ojerinde, that professor, the one that stole almost a billion. Just go through his CV, he had been eating from one educational agency to another non stop since the military era. But at almost 70, a grandpa, he comes from detention facility and goes to court to defend himself for stealing monies he would never need. At 70, a man is nearer my God to thee..., but in Nigeria, a 74 year old minister would steal to buy a plot of land to build a new mansion. His sepulchre of course.
"Our leaders make you puke at your credentials and certificates. lf medical doctors, senior advocate of Nigeria, doctors of philosophy, and professors would be this bestial and mad, you wonder to what purpose is our education. They say people steal government funds because they fear to fall into the poverty trap. But how do you explain a Uzor Kalu, Rochas Okorocha who rode on private billions before politics and still stole the community goats and chickens. Or Lucky Igbinedion, former governor of Edo state, who had a golden spoon in his mouth, and nevertheless seized the feeding bottles of milk from the mouths of Edo babies.
"A billion has nine zeros. With ₦80 billion you can build a brand new town, local government area, of 15, 000 low cost housing units complete with roads, schools, hospitals. ₦80b billion would build a new ten - faculty university, that can accommodate 20,000 undergraduates and graduate students. But an accountant allegedly stole such staggering sum. A fellow of ICAN. A distinguished member of a privileged elite group. Who else should know the cost implication of fraud better than a chartered accountant?
"See, the almajirai, area boys, mc oluomo, and their likes are not the main threat to this beautiful country. The elite are. The directors, permanent secretary, vice chancellors, ceo, solicitor generals, senators, governors are the ones bleeding us. Not bandits, boko haram, or ipob. The elite are the ones bombing and destroying the social architecture of our nation with their unbridled hedonism. They think the stolen billions would enamour them to the dangers ahead. "But stolen melons are the sweetest...they don't know the former guests are now citizens of hell". Everyone is victim.
"Having broken the social ligaments that hold our nation together, by stealing monies meant for education, healthcare and infrastructure, the elite have rendered Nigeria a classless nation. Billionaires are now stolen, emirs are kidnapped, and attempts had been made in recent past to abduct a serving governor. The the elite had sowed wild thorns, the harvest is fully here. Politicians steal in Japan, and senators thief in America. A $50,000 bribe. A golden watch. Or a misappropriated flight ticket or inflated hotel bills. But in Nigeria, our leaders don't embezzle, they haul. Why? Because they are mad.
"Our political elite, despite their jejune certificates, lack the intellectual capacity to solve our economic problems, and worse, they lack the contemplation of the right philosophy of public service, They aren't kingly, neither are they philosophic. But leaders are made to live for God, and their existence is for society's sake. We are to use our gifts, spend our grace, and deploy our earthly term and years, to serve community, society, country and mankind. No man living personally needs a billion. What for? Dangote, Buhari, Otedola, Elumelu cannot spend fifteen thousand naira daily on Nigerian foods or meals. If they do, they would die sooner than their time. You would too. Because, God didn't create us to be excessive. Every extra gift, talent, grace, money and wealth we have, is not totally for us. But for society and state. We are to give, give and give, for state, humanity and posterity. Although nature and law permit an optimal material rewards and compensation for our efforts. That is why the Accountant General of Federation, Governor, Senator is well renumerated above others, so he won't run mad and go about stealing.
"But all is not sad. Like Chief Micheal Adekunle Ajasin, there are a few saints in this city of sin. There are good examples despite the rot. Oby in Ezekwesili was former minister of solid minerals, and education. I have sat across her a few times. She does not have the look nor the body scent of a thief. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala handled our billions of dollars at the time Nigeria was awash with much. Her hands are not hypo clean. But she didn't haul our billions into her truck. If she had, no one would call her higher into WTO. Therefore, in this city, not all are crazy.
"Prayer: Lord! Open the eyes of our elite to see and know, that they don't need what they steal. For only a mad fellow gathers stones and pans that are needless. Don't forget when you see something say something Nigerians!!!." This is but a sharp reflection or tip of the situation of corruption in Nigeria.
Corruption has developed tap roots in Nigeria. I shed tears reading the prose represented above and, I imagine, those of you who have read it will too. However, it should be noted that sitting back and complaining about the social insanity, call it corruption and doing nothing about it will not help. Like the street trader in Terminus market, Jos, we need to be delineate: Welding the big stick and systematically fight the fantastically corrupt elements in our midst. It is true that: Corruption, the dreaded monster, also nicked named the "37th state" of Nigeria, must be killed or it will consume us all, going forward.
Institutional corruption can only be fought through institutional efficiency. But "An important thing to understant about any human institution", John W. Garden observed, "is that it does not move unless pushed." This means that human effort is inevitable in fixing problems arising from human institution.
Building strong institutions is the way to go in Nigeria. The nation cannot afford to default in this regard, especially, now that poverty is increasing in exponential proportion in the land. It was Charles Darwin who wrote and I cite to conclude this piece: "If the misery of our poor is caused not by laws of nature, but by our institutions, great is our sins." God forbid and may God rescue my country!
