Introduction.

We are quick to point fingers at people or institutions as been corrupt…but rarely finger out ourselves as part of the cesspool. We are quick to denounce people for their atrocities who in position of power and influence, but seem to develop selective amnesia when it’s us, or a known associate does likewise…we turn the blind eye and claim…” it’s our turn”. Anything to get us to the top or our destination if we are not caught flat footed by the law, we are fine…and if caught…well…

What is corruption? 

The United Nations’ definition of corruption is provided in the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), which is a legally binding international treaty aimed at combating corruption. Article 2 of the UNCAC defines corruption as follows:

For the purposes of this Convention, ‘corruption’ means the abuse of power or position for private gain.

For the purposes of this Convention, ‘corruption’ means the abuse of power or position for private gain.

‘Corruption’ includes such practices as bribery; embezzlement; misappropriation of property; trading in influence; abuse of functions; and illicit enrichment.”

United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC)

“1. Dishonest or illegal behaviour especially by powerful people (such as government officials or police officers)

2. Inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means (such as bribery)”

Merriam-Webster dictionary

With the above definitions, corruption straddles all strata of life and occurs in any form that is deemed anti-social, improper and law breaking…right?

Is everyone corrupt?

From the scriptural and spiritual perspective, we are all born into a corrupt world system due to the first sin. “’When Adam sinned, the entire world was affected. Sin entered human experience, and death was the result. And so, death followed this sin, casting its shadow over all humanity because all have sinned. ‘ Romans 5:12 https://www.bible.com/bible/1849/ROM.5.12 TPT.   ‘ As it is written, none is righteous, just, and truthful upright conscientious, no, not one. [Ps. 14:3.]’ Romans 3:10 https://www.bible.com/bible/8/ROM.3.10 AMPC

As stated earlier, we were all born corrupt…and how we turn out eventually is now influenced by personal values and the community and people we are surrounded by.

 Is we being born corrupt an excuse for running afoul of the law of the land…No. That is why we have law systems in place to act as a guide and to chaperone us into right thinking for the communal good of all. It is why we have a sense of right and wrong and we, been able to get out justice for perceived injustice and to demand for compensation when wronged and demand justice for wrongdoing as well.

The truth is, in man, lies the tendency by birth, to be mischievous and to run contrary to acceptable and adopted societal norms that are meant to put order in our lives.

Why do we have laws?

Foremost we need to establish, what does law and order mean? 

In general, it is described as the ideal state of a society where, Laws are established and enforced fairly. This means there are clear rules everyone must follow, and the application of these rules is consistent and unbiased.

It can also be where there is peace and order, that is, crime and violence are minimised, and people feel safe and secure. 

So, for a society to thrive and prosper, we need to have enshrined into the society, laws that are enforced without fear nor favor, and consistently enforced. It means, it is expected for all and sundry to abide by it in which, running afoul of it would have consequences that would be enforced and implemented without fear nor favour.

So, what happens if we have laws that are not been enforced?

The answer is not farfetched, it is an invitation for anarchy. We have examples worldwide of breakdown of law and order and its disastrous consequences on the society. And by society, I mean both people, infrastructures, and the economic system. Often, it starts from allowing a wrong to go unabated, unwittingly encouraging illegality, perversion of justice and lots more.

The saying, justice delayed is justice denied is aptly fitting to describe precedent to breakdown of law and order. And when bodies tasked with enforcement, are enablers of illegality and become law disenforcers, it is an invitation to chaos in a society.  

Types of corruption

From my point of view, there are two predominant types of corruption:

1. Corruption based on abuse of power and position.

2. Corruption based on antisocial behaviour and illegality.

Corruption based on abuse of power and position: This is prevalent a whole lot amongst politicians, elites, government functionaries, and even the security man in uniform at the gate. I deliberately mentioned the security man at the gate to show, that from the least to the greatest, once in a position of power or privilege, they tend to abuse and misuse power which is the nucleus of corruption. I am sure we are all clear about the atrocities at the very top, stealing of public funds with a pen, misappropriation of resources, power, and wealth show during abject poverty, the list is endless. What I want to point out, is that corruption right under our nose that we fail to see, but we are quick to point to the top. Case in point as an example, you are placed in charge of a function, but instead of discharging that function and duty right, you decide to be an agent of frustration or obstacle willingly or just decide to show, “this is my territory “. Sir/Ma, you are corrupt. Now this is different from being thorough in the discharge of your duty, this is just you deciding to play tin god and believe, “it’s my time…” Sounds familiar right?

How often do we condemn and criticise people in positions of power that display and oppress, but in our little corner, we do worse? Or we don’t seem to realise that we are not different? How come when you attain a political post or position or your known associate attains it, that all they do is right and true even when its glaringly wrong, that they are doing exactly the opposite of what claim to stand against?

Corruption based on antisocial behaviours and illegality: This is very prevalent and often, we don’t regard it as corruption…in our society and we seem to think, “as long as I am not caught, I am smart…and if caught… we would beg or give a tip to the enforcement personnel “. Let’s break it down into few examples so we understand it in our day-to-day context… shall we? 

I. Traffic violations: either directly or indirectly that is, either it’s you are breaking traffic rules, or you are in a vehicle breaking traffic rules with impunity, you are corrupt. And a law enforcement officer, who refuses to enforce the law, is aiding and abetting illegality and is corrupt as well. Familiar? Running the red light, shunting traffic queues, driving without documentation and license etc are all corrupt practices.

II. Dumping refuse in drainage channels or by the roadside: How many of us are guilty of this? Or we know people who do it or have done it in our presence. Do you know seeing a crime/offence been committed and keeping quiet is aiding and abetting? And that is corruption on its own? Why do we have flooded channels? Erosion? And massive flood during a heavy downpour? Is it not because of these? And when there is a flood, we cry out to government, “help us o!”. But who is responsible for dumping refuse in the first place? Or even clearing the drainage? Yes, we have the local government authority to clear the drainages, but is it not our primary responsibility? Are we individually not the government? Yes, there is the responsibility of the government to clear the environment, but why must the drainage be blocked in the first instance? Do you need motivation as a government employee to do your job?

III. Noise Pollution: We think noise pollution is just from night clubs or churches with megaphone outside their building? No, those who come into another person’s neighbourhood different from theirs and claim to be proclaiming the gospel early in the morning are corrupt as well. Now do not get me wrong, I am not against preaching the gospel, I am against using the gospel as an instrument of oppression and cheating. Let’s look at the scriptures, whenever Jesus wants to preach, he goes to the temple or to the riverside or the market to preach…or he goes into homes where he is invited and ministers to people there…but what do we have….a stranger with a sonorous voice, standing in front of another person’s house and claims to be preaching very early in the morning…foremost, that is infringement on the rights of the people staying in that apartment and secondly, it’s against the law and thirdly, its corruption. 

IV. Fake News Proponent: The social media, in the last couple of years has become a cesspool of fake news and false propaganda. It baffles me that people take joy in spreading unfounded rumours despite been confronted with the truth, and despite knowing the havoc the false news is causing. That people strive to push a narrative that suites their own personal agenda is a deep-seated form of corruption unrivalled and unfathomable, and it is a topic for another day even though I had written on it in the past here.

V. Social Media Bullying: This tallies in line with the above as well, the enormous amount of bullying for clout and enforcing personal agenda is horrible. People literally live their lives on social media, subject to the approval and commendation of faceless people who curiously happen to hold sway in modern times but are not different from a baying mob. We are in a dispensation, when having 10m followers online is more important to them, but lonely in the real world, sad, devoid of human interaction and lack social network and capital. (little wonder suicide rates are shooting up globally). We rather threaten people online and abuse than have mature conversations (both online and physical) and hide behind the mask of ‘anonymity’ to cuss on social media and slander and when the chicken comes home to roost, we cry foul….You are quick to jump on a trend online but lack the mental sagacity to know what is on-going in your immediate surroundings and the world at large and you think you are fly? So, call social media wannabe influencer? if you are on this boat, my friend, you are simple corruption personified.

VI. Cussing and complaining about the Nation: If you are part of the people, that regularly cuss the nation at every given opportunity, complain, denigrate, and malign the nation, and that’s what you do steadily with no proactive constructive action, my friend, you are the twin brother of corruption. And even if you act, and it is a proactive, self-sabotage action, it makes no difference! If you ask, how is that to be? Why would you wake up and not see anything worthwhile in your country? Why would you believe, your fatherland/motherland is worthless and not worth fighting for? Why would you think, only my candidate and no other candidate? Why must it be, that, if you don’t have your way, the next course of action is to aid and abet anarchy and subvert constitutional authority? If that is the way, citizens of other nations you run to live and migrate to, denigrate, and water down their country, would it be conducive for you to stay in? Selah.

We can go on and on with examples from this second form of corruption, but that won’t be necessary. The point is, to make us see, we are not different from the politicians we point accusing fingers to. We are equally corrupt and guilty in our different spheres and quarters. You just need the right motivation and mix to show your true colours.

Little wonder why, while we expect a change at the top it never occurs because the bottom itself needs a change. People emerge to the top from the ranks…as Tunde Bakare use to say, “there is no new year if there is no new you”. There can’t be a structural, transformational change in our country unless we are changed individually first, then collectively. Until we see that we have fundamental flaws, we cannot demand for a change in others when we ourselves have not made that change in our lives and manner of living.

“Look for the good in every situation, seek the valuable lesson in every setback, look for the solution to every problem. Think and talk continually about your goals”.

Brian Tracy

Our goal is nation building, to stamp out corruption and live in a free and fair equitable society, where we all play our part and take seriously our responsibility as law abiding citizens. Is that something we can strive to individually and collectively as a people?

The Solution

“The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently.”

Friedrich Nietzsche

The one challenge we have failed to realise and come to terms with is summed up in the quote above. And until we start to think differently from the status quo, act legally against what is the norm and be strategically proactive to see ahead and plan, we are simply breeding the same set of people we revile that are in leadership, into leadership in the nearest future.

To overcome we need 4 key things (got this from the new year gathering message preached by my Pastor, Dr. Tunde Bakare, you can watch here) namely;

1. Step up thinking.

2. Foresight

3. Far sight.

4. Oversight

1. Step up thinking: To overcome corruption and the corruptive tendencies in our nation, we need to step up our thinking beyond the base level at which others around us are operating. Be different in how you see issues and how solutions are proffered. Don’t be part of the crowd, stand out with your thinking and superior insight! Daniel and his three Hebrew friends thought differently from our nobles in Babylon, and across three different dynasties they made national and global impact in the then global powers of Babylon, (Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar) and Medo Persian (Darius).

2. Foresight: See the trends, see the patterns, be proactive and not reactive. This last presidential election in Nigeria, a whole lot of people were reactive in thinking, approach, and strategy. Do not! Anticipate and plan proactively what your contribution to building our nation would be. What your responsibility would be and how you would play your role. Be ever ready! I told myself i would stop been a pawn in nation buildidng but rather, be actively involved in the process and to p lay my part duly.

3. Farsight: Be in for the long haul and not short term. You must HODL and be ready to give it whatever it takes to finish strong. You can’t put your hand on the plow only to look back…neither can you get into the wilderness and long to return to Egypt. God forbid! And Oh yes, there would be wilderness experience on this journey to the promise land…it’s not going to be on a platter of gold. There would be sacrifices to make, lessons to be learnt in the journey of leadership and growth to build the New Nigeria of our dreams. It is a marathon race and not a sprint. In the words of Nelson Mandela, “We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom…” Once you understand this, then you are ready for the journey.

4. Oversight: When you are successful in the first three, then be ready to have a say in National discourse and policy making that will affect positively the nation. If you are successful in the above, then be ready to partake in the New Nigeria, devoid of corruption, tribalism, and nepotism. Then we can command resources to be equitably shared amongst all without fear or favour, then we can all contribute from each according to his ability and to each according to his need, all regions and states growing and prospering and with justice, fairness, good governance, and economic prosperity the order of the day across the federation of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Conclusion

Just dare to be different. Yes, just dare and do not follow the norm. Do not join the bandwagon, be the exception that makes a stand and creates a true change in our society. It starts with us as individuals before it becomes a collective movement. In the words of Sun Tze, in the 47 laws of power,

“It does not take sharp eyes to see the sun and the moon, nor does it take sharp ears to hear the thunderclap. Wisdom is not obvious. You must see the subtle and notice the hidden to be victorious.”

Sun Tze

The words of JF Kennedy at his inaugural speech on January 20, 1961, still rings true with a resounding refrain years after,

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

JF Kennedy

I think it’s a question, every Nigerian, should ask and do a deep soul searching to provide a worthwhile answer. Selah.

This post is dedicated to the memory of the 17 Army Personnel killed in Okuoma community in Delta State Nigeria on March 14th, 2024, and buried today, 27th March 2024 and to all the men, officers and civilians who lost and laid down their lives to make Nigeria stand as one, undivided and secured in peace and prosperity. Your labour would never be in vain…Amen.

And also, to my darling Sister, Busola Aderibigbe, who passed away on Saturday 23rd March 2024 … you will be sorely missed…God rest your soul. Amen.