Before Corruption Kills Us…

That corruption is pervasive in Nigeria is no longer news. The menace has almost become a pastime, a daily routine in the country. Although the menace is as old as the country itself, the rate of its prevalence is such alarming that if we do not do something to kill corruption in Nigeria, corruption will kill us.
But how do we come about this menace of corruption? What constitutes and what propels corruption? These are two of the questions I want to address in this piece, with a view to getting to the root cause of corruption in our country.
My first answer is over prioritisation of money. Money has been unduly prioritised in Nigeria. Money is worshiped like a god, people no longer worry about the source through which money is made, the only thing that matters is that money has been made. This is why an individual can vanish from his community in poverty only to re-appear in affluence to the exhilaration of his people who will never pause to ask questions on how the individual met sudden wealth. Rather, the individual will be bathed with different kinds of chieftaincy accolades like Eze Omemma 1. Onwanetiriora 1, Omego 1etc.
The feeling that money is everything does not help matters either. Before now, there were people who commanded great respect in our societies even when they were not wealthy but because of their vocation or great initiatives.
The absence or non-implementation of strong punishments against those found guilty of corrupt practices also constitutes a huge motivation for intending ones. The cases of Abacha, Tafa Balogun and Patricia Etteh are good examples. A situation where someone has been found guilty of stealing the country’s funds and the same person remains as free as any other man is absurd. Why will others who have access to public funds not try their own luck? This is why we are going nowhere in the anti-corruption crusade.
Another factor is poor remuneration. When people are not adequately rewarded, when they cannot meet up with basic family demands, the option becomes a search for additional income through unwholesome strategies. This is what makes a man ask for tips before files can move, or before gate can be opened. It is very important for employers to pay realistic wage that can really take workers home.
Also, the ways and manners retirees are treated in this country is devoid of respect and regards for their contributions while in service. Their pensions are left unpaid for months or years. When eventually paid, they will be made to travel through miles and possibly spend a reasonable part of the money on transit. When those who are still in active service see what their colleagues go through, they are compelled to make hay while the sun shines. The victim of this haymaking becomes public funds.
Another burning condition that has ignited corruption in Nigeria is the way recruitments are made. There are over emphasis on the impossibles. For instance, a typical recruitment advert in Nigeria will read as follows. “Our organisation is in search of young, vibrant, intelligent and energetic graduate to fill our vacant position. The person must not be more than 20 years of age, must have a minimum of 5 years post NYSC cognate experience and he/she must be a member of at least two professional bodies.  Now, come to think of it, considering the Nigerian factors, how is it possible for anyone to truly meet these conditions? The alternative becomes forgery and falsifications; this practice is then continued in other spheres of the individual’s life.
Therefore, we need to be realistic in giving conditions because we do not have many Nigerians yet who graduate from higher education at any age less than 20 years. All these are serious factors that stare the Nigerian job seekers on the face, and those who may not wish to falsify document are no job candidates anywhere. So, what should they do to survive in the absence of no job, no capital for business?
In any case, the existence of these conditions as presented does not mean that corruption should be left to prosper in the land unchecked. There is need to fight corruption to a standstill if our country must move forward. But I think one way of checking corruption is by institutionalising whistle blowing. This action is sine qua non if the anti-corruption war must be won.
According to Rothschild and Miethe (1994), whistle blowing is the disclosure of illegal, unethical, or harmful practices in the workplace to parties who might take action; and this disclosure must be at public interest.
Klopper (1997), threw more light that these would entail information about criminal activities, a contravention of any statutory requirement, improper or unauthorised use of public and other funds, miscarriage of justice, abuse of power, maladministration, danger to health or safety of any individual and any other misbehaviour or malpractice.
National reorientation is yet a step that should be urgently introduced; this will serve as a proactive measure as against reactive. Nigerians have for long been living on what some people called the survival of the fittest and grab whatever comes your  way mentality. It is only when our values are corrected and behaviours modified that corruption can witness a good fight.
The kids gloves treatment meted out to corrupt Nigerians by the government and its law enforcement agencies constitutes a big motivation for others who contemplate corrupt practices. This kind of treatment should as a matter of urgency be substituted by stronger punitive measures to serve as deterrents for others. If corrupt people are treated like the armed robbers, at least most people will avoid it. However, this can only be possible in an environment where the rule of law is supreme, where checks and balance is a tradition, and separation of power is sincerely embraced.
It is also very important that anti-corruption agencies are not tied to the individuals that head them. Nigerians have penchant for hooking up the good or bad of government agencies on the leaders of such agencies. EFCC was like Nuhu Ribadu’s private thing even when he was only discharging his statutory duties; the risks and benefits were made to look like his, and we made it look like there was no EFCC without Ribadu.
Orukwonwu writes from Port Harcourt.

Justin Orukwonwu