Corruption In Nigeria Blaming The Victims

Corruption In Nigeria: Blaming The Victims.

New York, United States

Seriously, this article is not about me, is about something important, more important than any individual or group of Nigerians! And the big question is, who can be president in Nigeria, and what are the parameters, what person or persons in particular, sets and control these parameters? How come the most educated and most energetic of the Nigeria population, the intellectual class/intelligentsia do not constitute the bulk of those running the affairs of Nigeria. Why can’t Gani Fawehinmin Dr. Bala Usman, Dr. Madunagu, Dr. Utomi, Dr. Adamu, Dr. Abati, Dr Paul Unongo etc become president of Nigeria? Can any of these Nigerians become president, without bribing the electorate? I have watched for many years watched and read the opinions of these individual and I have come to conclude that the are very informed and worldly-wise, and the truth is that most other Nigerians know these men to be capable intellectuals with well-articulated positions on myriad Nigerian issues, be it economic, political, social or cultural. Why must decent Nigerians with excellent leadership qualities be compelled to use the service of godfathers or retired generals? Bankrolled public office holders, have their hands tied by the sponsors of campaigns.

Perhaps, it is because, if ones run an honest, issues oriented campaign that is "moneyless" one will not win? Where is the source of the monies, which crooked-politicians use in bribing the electorate? It is our monies! Taxpayer monies and national treasury monies! So, why do Nigerians allow, a trifling bribe, a minutiae of the wealth stolen from us, to be used to bribe us, to deprive ourselves or allow others to deprive our futures and our country of more resources?

Why happily accept one kobo as bribe, as payment for our future to be stolen again, one kobo from the millions of Naira, already stolen from us! Corruption and electoral irregularities are impossible without the connivance and collusion of a great number of the electorate! Out of desperation they accept pittance? But what creates the deprivations and the attendant desperations? What comes first? Corruption? Or desperation? Corruption of course! If we get rid of corruption, desperation will end, all the circumstances that create desperations among average Nigerian, would have been eliminated; Alternatively, we can remain cynical; Or we can wake up and start insisting on our full rights, as we fight all forms of corruptions.

Are the electorate so abused, that they have become so debased, skeptical and cynical? Or why is it, that the voters in my hometown and your hometown are willing to mortgage their futures, for a pittance of a shared bag of salt, a shared bag of onions, a shared bag of rice or why are they willing to accept a twenty Naira cash money, so that they become willing to vote for crooks or a known thieves and numbskulls? Why do "honest" Nigerians, the average member of the Nigerian electorate, appear to be willing to be bribed? By extension, they appear willing to allow thieves, charlatan and crooks to take charge of Nigeria’s varied resources and of course Nigeria’s future! All persons in my hometown deserve a resurfacing of the road to our town, which has not been repaired, expanded or positively modified during the past thirty-five years.

Additionally, the primary school in my hometown has remained the same size and numbers of class rooms have remained the same for about 40 years when I graduated from it, the hospital in my hometown has not seen any extensions or expansions for more than 40 years, when I attended it, during childhood ill-health, all these are so, even though, the populations of my hometown has quadrupled during the same period, these examples are not peculiar to my hometown or yours, it is practically the same from Aba to Abeokuta to Uromi and to Zungeru.

Why is it then? When the times came in 1979 and again 1999 or even in 2003, what is agreed by some random or consensus, regarding elections, is that, there were irregularities, that affected the overall outcome, which invariably, would have heavy impact on Nigeria’s economic, political, socio-cultural development! Why were the people of my hometown and yours willingly or unwittingly, agreeing to mortgage their futures? Some people might call this analysis, examination or questionings, a blaming-the-victim sort of approach, that I have embarked on or engaging in. But I beg to differ, and here is why.

It takes two to tango! Is an age-old adage, It is true, that there are the henchmen and political thugs, who are always at the ready, to manipulate and intimidate the average voter and members of the Nigerian electorate, but, where there is no giver of bribe, there is of course a no happy taker, a taker will go without bribe, I therefore take the view, that the giver is as guilty as the taker of bribes! The bribe taker, may create conditions to make bribes compulsory or mandatory or the no-choice options in many circumstances, the bribe taker, could create such oppressive circumstances and bureaucratic bottlenecks, delays, which makes offering bribes, the only way to speed things up….. There is always a choice, there is always the or a moral-high-ground, it might not be quick, it may cause delays and may not even make any business sense. But it is still "a" "the" moral-high-ground; When it is known that we are all willing to follow the rules, delays and blackmails, notwithstanding, the artificial delays and bottlenecks could actually disappear.

Nigerians cannot loathe corruption and resent corrupt persons in Nigeria, but continue to make excuses for their personal participation in corruption, in business, in academia and politics, why can Nigerians only complain or protest corruption, when someone else is engaged in it, or when someone else benefits? During the military governments, some Nigerians, would resort to extra legal means as methods to resolving purely legal problems, instead of resorting to the courts or proper judicial process, and the arguments were usually that, among other things, the judiciary itself is corrupt! The judicial process is also too slow! And it cost too much! All these are clear indications, of a lack or interests in systems and processes, because everyone ought to know, that, anything that is good, takes good and proper process; Nigeria needs judicial reform, not the jettisoning of the judiciary or judicial processes.

Some Nigerians were wont to call on their friends or family that are members of the Customs to aid and abet their smuggling endeavors, or they call on the Police friend or family member to intimidate an errant or recalcitrant tenant, who has not paid rent, or who is not using the properties and premises properly, the Nigerian would use the Soldier friend or family member to intimidate or enforce rights, instead of resorting to proper legal process, because it is expense legal process, it is slow, and corrupt. The Nigeria who owes NEPA for more than twelve months, wants NEPA to be effective and efficient, but where is the money? When customers and users of NEPA generated electricity are not paying up? If you do not pay your bills, and your neighbor does not pay his bills, it means NEPA will not have enough revenues to serve you and your neighbor next month with abundant electricity.

This is called consequential thinking. There are actions, reactions and of course, cause and effects, followed by their consequences. Frequently, some Nigerians deprive Nigeria and fellow Nigerians, of our collective national resources, by appropriating such resources for themselves, at the expense of everyone else, and then, turn around to complain about the scarcity of the of our national resources, which they have made scarce in the first place, by commandeering it, in the first place, this is like blocking the road, and turning around to ask, why the traffic is not moving.

Some Nigerians are quick to commandeer public resources for their selfish ends, and then wonder about the inefficiencies of the public amenities or facilities, whose growth and development, they have stunted! The truth is, if we all follow due process, comply with rules and regulations, governing public and private behavior, thereby, nurturing an enduring system, we will never want for public amenities and facilities, we should learn to defer to public interests, engender the general welfare and the good of all Nigerians, instead of the existentialist, me, me, me and me! Nigerians must learn not to create situations such as what Saro Wiwa described as washing our hands with saliva in the midst of abundant water, at a riverbank! Why hoard in surplus?

All Nigerians must learn to reject and protest injustices, where ever it occurs, injustice to a Nigerian is Sokoto is injustice to a Nigerian in Lagos and injustice in Abakaliki, is injustice in any of the multitudes of Nigerian hometowns, should be rejected and protested with equal vehemence and vociferousness! This is the only way, that well-meaning Nigerians can possibly fight and eradicate corruption with a single transparent standard of justice and fairness, including uprightness.

We must learn not to think of Nigerian public properties, as properties that belong to no one, or properties that can be wasted. We must learn not to enjoy the "benefits" of corrupt practices, or we will be hypocrites, who only complain about conditions, only when such conditions are not benefiting us! There should be a single standard of justice and fairness, regardless of who benefits. Nigerians must, in the interests of every other Nigerian, enthrone, a rewards sanctions and punishment regimen, and then, rigorously and vigorously pursue, those who chose to operate outside the rules, outside the laws, knowingly or recklessly.

I have come to the conclusion, that the most intelligent Nigerians will not govern Nigeria, as they presently do not control the "old money" old money from the contracts, old money from all forms of corruptions in the past military regimes, during which, the rule of law, due process, justice and transparency were not considered cardinal principles of government, a period that exemplified avarice, greed, absolute power and even lawlessness; it follows, therefore, a cynical electorate, that has become entrenched in quid pro quo, scratch my back and I scratch your back democratic politics of the patronage kind, will continue to elect, the guys who knows how to "wet-the-ground and the guys ho have the resources to so "wet-the-ground" and as a consequence foist a pseudo democracy upon all Nigerians and Nigeria.

The educated, the objective and transparently straight forward looking Nigerians, or a new generation of purposeful leadership will not be elected or elect-able in Nigeria, until money, old money, ceases to be everything in our politics, I am not referring to just campaign and logistics monies, but, also, monies for bribing the electorates with bags of rice or mounds of salt and "gifts" of 20 Naira to induce voters, as opposed to canvassing the issues, and spelling-out the benefits of civic participations. Nigerians should be willing to elect a president, a governor or councilor, who offers no bags of rice, or mounds of salt or offers no Naira notes, but instead proposes public policies, articulate their formulations, their benefits to all, the probabilities of implementations and the availability of resources for such! Elections should be run on the issues, not extraneous ancillaries or the multiple variables and vagaries of ethnicities, religions, regions or the ability to and old money, ill-gotten, to bribe voters.

I am campaigning for president, and my message is that, I have no bags of rice, I have no mounds of salt, I have no Naira notes bribe potential voters with, but, I am fully familiar with issues of every Nigerian hometowns! And the issues are, clean portable water, regular and reliable electricity, good schools, well-equipped hospitals, good roads, and employment etc.

But if you are one of those already corrupted with mere crump from the thieves and old crooks, who already stole enough from the Nigerian taxpayers and would steal again, given another opportunity, go ahead and vote for them, but you must realize that you are voting your future away! And that you are preferring crump from the tables of thieves and crooks, instead, of the supporting those, who would give you the main course of the Nigerian public amenities meals, why would any rational Nigerian receive a bag of rice, a mound of salt or 20 Naira note and mortgage an entire future of good roads, hospitals, schools, public libraries, clean water etc?

Corruption is a pervasive two-way street. Let us all stop the instant gratifications and quick fixes that serves to lubricates corruption, all Nigerians should henceforth demand justice, fairness for every other Nigerians, we should demand the full benefits and complete ramifications of our citizenship, no more settling for crump from thieves and crooks of old. No more "come and chop"! Corruption, bribes, electoral fraud and such other political irregularities, offer us poor substitutes for the real thing, the good life that every Nigeria has earned and rightly richly deserve.

Jan 2004