Corruption was the crux of the Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo’s speech at two very important events he attended, last week. At the inaugural Quarterly Civil Service Lecture held at Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday, Prof Osinbajo attributed the problem being faced by the nation to the corrupt practices of some privileged civil servants who subvert the system for their personal gains at the expense of the poor.
He said the country was faced with what he termed a monumental tragedy because civil servants used opportunity of the position they hold for self enrichment, adding that as a result of such sharp practices, civil servants were sometimes referred to as ” evil servants.”
At another forum – the inauguration of Private Sector Advisory Group for Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, the Acting President blamed corruption in the country on the penchant for unnecessary wealth by both the political, religious and business elite. The elite, he said, have decided to view wealth as a measure of worth, hence the large scale corruption in the system.
One cannot agree less with Osinbajo’s assertion. Nigeria is in the current mess because of the actions and inactions of a few privileged individuals. Let’s take a look at all the ailing sectors of the economy- health, education, manufacturing, agriculture and others, they are all being manned by the elite. These people, exploit their positions for personal aggrandizement rather than the common good of the masses.
It is for that same reason that contractors who were given the jobs to provide basic amenities and needed infrastructures to various communities across the nation, divert greater percentage of the money meant for these projects to their private bank accounts. Nigeria continues to witness epileptic power supply despite the humongous amount invested in the power sector over the years because of the actions of some greedy and selfish privileged individuals.
In the area of religion, the religious elite have severally been accused of masterminding most religious crises witnessed in the country. The issue of Boko Haram has lingered for many years despite the efforts made by the authorities to stem it because the elite have been allegedly sponsoring the dreaded sect.
The same goes with politics. Many communities in the country are at war with each other today because of the political interests of a few politicians from those areas. These men and women do not care whether the whole people in their communities or even states perish as long as they achieve their goal.
That same selfishness and greed continue even when they get into power (whether by election or imposition). We are living witnesses to how law makers, both at the national and state levels are quick to make laws that would benefit them while the the ones in public interests take ages to come to light. They manipulate the electoral process to suit them. These elite at all tiers and arms of government continue to milk the nation and states dry with their excessive expenditures and outlandish lifestyle. A nobody today becomes a billionaire once elected or appointed into a position of trust.
Recently, the media, both conventional and on-line have been inundated with stories of recovered monies stolen from the public purse by well -placed individuals. Billions of Naira that would have been used to transform several communities are stashed in a few people’s homes and bank accounts.
One wonders how the civil servants will be expected to be saints, seeing and hearing all these. Of course, no one is trying to make excuses for the high rate of corruption in the civil service but perhaps the few bad eggs in the civil service are merely towing the line of their political heads. They may just be bringing into the civil service what obtains in the larger Nigerian society.            The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation , Mrs Winifred Oyo Ita, at the SDGs inauguration, noted that the service was possibly a victim of the overall malaise bedelvilling the entire Nigerian society. There is no better truth than  that.
So before labeling civil servants as evil, we must acknowledge the fact that corruption has permeated all sections including the schools, spiritual houses,  traditional institutions , the media and even markets. No section is exempted.
But beyond lamenting over the situation or preaching to our conscience as the Acting President tried to do, a lasting solution to the problem must be found. Apart from the long speeches we have heard over the years, what are the authority’s mechanisms against this act ?
In other countries, people are punished for corrupt and criminal activities . How often do we do that?  How many people have been prosecuted and punished under the on-going anti corruption crusade? Or do we continue to reward and revere looters and criminals and expect our society to be better?
We are eagerly hoping that the Acting President who has been speaking passionately against corruption will employ the same passion in prosecuting the war against corruption . It should no longer be business as usual. Rather, the ruling class and all those in authority should shun corruption , embezzlement , ethnic and religious bias and other negative tendencies associated with Nigerian elite. Let the ‘evil’ civil servants be turned to angelic servants by the examples of their leaders.

Calista Ezeaku