Rehabilitating revenue collectors in the corridors of power

Sir: The issue of political jobbers, corporate urchins, racketeering, and fiscal round-tripping either as politicians’ proxies or purely touts perambulating along the passageways of government parastatals constitutes core practices of corrupt practices in Nigeria. When one is expecting a decline in the deadly trends and a return to decency in official activities, lo and behold the monstrous ogre has virtually preoccupied every single bit. I try to avoid in my writings the over-glorification of the ills that consume us by embellishing details over proffering workable solutions and feasible ideas. Therefore, enough references to these disgusting official malpractices and misconduct now, unfortunately, become the new norm.

The application of effective therapy for curative purposes begins with the proper diagnosis of the illness. Put another way, when you decide to treat an effect, trace the cause. Nigerians did not just wake up to this brazen corruption and criminalized tendency, there was a loophole, a lacuna somewhere, sometime ago. “He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an hedge, a serpent shall bite him”, thus says the infallible scripture in Ecclesiastes chapter 10 verse 8.

Certain malfeasance parlance and slang are commonly used in Nigeria when the proponents of impropriety decide to play the “the more you look the less you see” game to anyone trying to checkmate them. These maxims and phrases include “wetting the ground”, “grease elbows”, “nothing good goes for nothing”, “dance to tones”, “sacrifice to the gods”, and “observing landmark traditions”. They are used interchangeably in private but especially public spaces where monetary transactions unnecessarily dominate decent procedures. Having established the fact that indeed “There was a nation” (apologies to Chinua Achebe classic topic) that was bereft of this culture of enthronement and celebration of corruption as though it no longer abnormal so to live, shall we proceed to possible remedy ideology highlighted.

The erosion of cultural values, and abandonment of a people’s traditional and indigenous system of belief (way of life, in exchange for the alien version) has helped us to lose our bearings. We have long lost the compass and control. Now we are on a blind dating adventure and if care is not taken, we might trip off the precipice. Every nation is distinctly defined by the peculiar qualities bestowed on them by nature and creation. If you have any inkling of history knowledge, you will not be surprised to know that the evolution of civilization is credited to the black race.

The world, over the years, originated from Africa.  It spread further to the Western world where they tried as hard to erase the original trace and altered the evolution while replacing it with nomenclature strange to reality and truth. For example, what on earth concerns an alien voyager and an eccentric adventuresome Mungo Park with the purported discovery of River Niger crisscrossing eastern and northern Nigeria and partly neighborhood Western Africa? Before 1759, who were the “spiritual beings” or perhaps the “savage homo sapiens” that inhabited the River Niger shores and surroundings? Not surprisingly, if you ask the Google search engine columns, a glorified lie is told. And only the simple-minded, and docile students accept such standards lies as unsubstantiated truth.

Bring back home this interesting discourse, Africa must rediscover itself and this must be done with passion and perseverance. We are blessed beyond boundaries. We have fortunes across our frontiers. Nigeria is at the heartbeat of African reconnaissance. We need to identify the beginning of our falling. We need to track down our traducers and make ways to determine the fate of our detractors and destroyers. Unless and until this is done, we might only realize that we are beating about the bush. It is not a complex task.

Look, I love Nigeria. Beginning from the Igbos, the Yorubas, and the Hausas ethnic groups, if you dig deeper into the respective potentials of this trio of tribal groups (not referring to their rich deposits of natural resources in their lands), then you will be amazed at the level of uncommon human resources of nature endowment. The industriousness and creative disposition of the average Igbo person (with or without gaining traditional education certification); the high grade of intellectualism and brilliant literacy skills and dynamism which the Yorubas are gladly reputed for; and the brutally honest capacity and tolerance quality of the Hausa person all combines the backbone of a naturally fortified people. We can unleash these in a revolutionary pattern toward achieving sustainable coexistence and rapid growth of our regional and national welfare.

In a nutshell, corruption is embedded and therefore not originated. It’s not indigenous to our nativity but learned; therefore, it can be unlearned. It’s a foreign body. It can be detached from our system, forthwith. Let us endeavor to sanitize ourselves from the blemishes that this monster has impacted on us, unwillingly. Let us summon the courage to rise in objections against its ruins on us. The Nigerian government must take the bull by the horns in addressing the fundamental issues that instigate all societal ills. This rat race must cease. Let’s join hands together to build a nation where all will be proud to identify with. It can be done.
• Steve Obum Orajiaku writes via [email protected]