Nigeria’s biggest problem, by Aondover Eric Msughter

Like late Chinua Achebe wrote about corruption in one of his pamphlet, The Trouble with Nigeria: “Corruption has permeated the African society and anyone who can say that corruption in Africa has not yet become alarming is either a fool, a crook or else does not live in this continent.” Looking at this quotation, my fingers ran fast across my computer keyboard with so many questions in mind. Why the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer? Why others have more than five cars, others can’t afford a bicycle? Why others have a dozen shoes and others are working barefooted? Why someone somewhere is schooling abroad, having access to facilities and quality education, someone somewhere is schooling in Nigeria and been made to pay through the nose.
These questions and more of it will remain a thorn in everyone’s flesh because the devastating effect of corruption is obviously visible to the blind and audible to the deaf, considering the economic, social, political and physical trauma a country like Nigeria is going through. The effects of corruption in this country are widespread and immeasurable just like the menace itself. Corruption in Nigeria today has become a cankerworm that is refusing to go in all ramifications. It has gone beyond human capacity, today, snakes and monkeys are getting the blame for corruption in Nigeria. I think this is the more reason why Tolu Olarewaju said: “There is something strange afoot in Nigeria, animals are making away with huge sums of money.”
Not quite long, a team of auditors tried to ascertain the accounts of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board: N36 million (about $100,000) could not be accounted for. A clerk reported that the money had been stolen from the vault by a snake, which swallowed it. Apparently, sometime around February, a senator, defending a colleague accused of misappropriating of funds, suggested that “a missing N70 million (about $194,600) was carted away by monkeys on the other senator’s farm”. Could this be euphemism?
Honestly, corruption is what damages the legitimacy of any system of government in the eyes of the citizenry which in turn uproots trust and weakens the social fabric of the society. It is also on record that corruption increases the cost of running business and reduces investment, including making people to pay through their nose while striving to survive. On so many occasions, efforts are made to curb the menace in Nigeria, yet things seem to be escalating or rather getting worse. This is sad and something needs to be done to avert this ugly situation.
On another thought, I think there is a need to strengthen the Constitution; this is so because in a country where the Constitution is so weak and things rigmarole, there is a need to ensure that things are curve to work within the ambit of law. People who involved in such corruption scandal should face the full fledge of law whose punishment is inescapable which will serve as a deterrent to others. The reason why corruption is growing at it very best in Nigeria is because people who involved in such corruption scandal are allow to go scot-free instead of putting them behind bars.
People must be reminded that corruption hurts the poor disproportionately due to diverting funds intend for development, undermining a government’s ability to provide basic services, feeding inequality and injustice and discouraging foreign investment and aid. Indeed, corruption is an insidious plaque that has a wide-range of corrosive effects on society. Thus, Nigerians must live to remember this and plant it in their psyche. The rate at which corruption is rooting in this country, there is a need for a sharp cutlass to unveil its roots before it will spread like wildfire.
There is also a wake-up call to media organisations, as the fourth estate of the realm, the media are expected to checkmate the activities of the three arms of government. In this vein, they are expected to cover corruption scandals, bring them to the plain of discussion while putting in mind the provision of Section 22 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that obliged them to be free to uphold the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people. To this end, Nigerian judiciary must also encourage the media by making sure that such corruption cases are examine with proper action. A stitch in time saves nine.
Msughter writes from the Department of Mass Communication, Bayero University, Kano and can be reached via aondover7@gmail.com.