Skip to main content

The havoc of corruption

President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari

Corruption is the opposite of integrity. Corruption is the greatest enemy to human existence and the level of corruption today in the whole world not only in Nigeria is turning everything from order to disorder, from normal to abnormal. It is indeed the havoc of corruption, a situation in which there is a lot of damage, destruction and confusion as a result of enormous corruption existing among us. There is an atom of corruption in every sector, trade and all affairs of life today. Therefore fighting corruption should not just be limited to the noticeable shortcoming in the running of our executive, legislative arms of government and judiciary only but should include sharp practices across all sectors: the civil society organizations, private individuals, private business houses, academic institutions, the media and most importantly religious organizations etc.

There is need to raise a greater awareness on the evil effects of corruption in our country. When organized crime and other illegal activities flourish in any country, basic public functions are eroded and the quality of life of the people reduced. Corruption will always destabilize economic system, improverish the people and deprives us of good governance. It is an economic road block to the nation building. It will always slow down development in our country. Corruption causes instability and insurgency in our country. It promotes crimes, that gives birth to kidnapping, armed robbery, smuggling, trafficking, tax evasion and counterfeiting etc. It undermines democracy, good governance and human right. It diverts funds meant for the public and for the provision of services. It weakens the safety and security structures of our country.

The level of corruption in our country is a pitiable and sorrowful situation. We all know that the consequence of corruption is the distortion of government expenditure. And will always result to public money being wasted on what I will call “white elephant” projects instead of people-oriented services. And by so doing, more opportunities are presented for corrupt use or diversion of public funds. Where did the billions of Naira budgeted for public projects go, to the right hands or to the wrong ones. Even when many politicians and government officials have been publicly shown to have corruptly enriched themselves, they still manage to get away with all their loots, even gets another political appointment. This misappropriation of public fund must stop. Or don’t we know that corruption is misappropriation of our wealth and abuse of power by the people in power and general extortion by the public and it triggers inflation which result to fall in the value of our money-Mr. Naira.

If we sincerely fight corruption and promote good governance which is crucial to developing an environment that facilitate political, economic and social development of our country, we will cry less. Corruption we know is the pivot on which every economic, political and social evil revolves. When one is fighting corruption corruptly, using the wrong method, corruption fights back. And that person at the end will be tagged a corrupted person. Also when you are fighting corruption and your target is your enemies and those who did not support your government, you end up being the enemy of the people yourself. And when the corrupted is talking about corruption, then we have to watch it. Even though sometimes it is better to use thief to catch the thief, all the same, both the caught and the catcher should face the law.

We must not fight corruption with corruption, if we do, corruption fights back. The only way out is attitudinal change, which must start from our leaders. To me, discipline is the antidote to corruption. Indiscipline is a very good delicacy for corruption. It gives right to impunity, impunity is the mother of corruption. Let us honestly and truly redesign our political and regulatory structures, only then can we reduce corruption and other anti-system players that encourage corrupt practices.

Please permit me to say that corruption will always be, do you know why? because the very institution that would have totally eradicate corruption is corrupted itself-Religion. The chairman of Cross River State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRH Emminent Etim Okon Edet at NTA Good morning Nigeria on 18th August 2015, said “The major problem we have in this country is Politics and Religion” But I am of the opinion that social, political and religious reforms will help reduce corruption. All the same, one day, corruption and its perpetrators will be put to rest. Amen.

Dr. Paul Ifeanyi Udensi 08023113064
Udensiegbulami@yahoo.com

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Court grants Fani-Kayode N50m bail

Fani-kayode sandwiched by EFCC officials Justice James Tsoho of the Federal High Court Abuja on Thursday granted a N50m bail to former spokesman of the Goodluck Jonathan Campaign Organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode. Fani-Kayode was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count charge of money laundering to the tune of N26m. Fani-Kayode is the sole defendant in the fresh charges numbered, FHC/ABJ/CR/140/2016. The EFCC accused the defendant of diverting 26 million Naira allegedly received from the ONSA while Sambo Dasuki was in office. The anti-graft agency also accused him of handling the said N26 million without going through financial institution as required under the Money Laundering Act. The embattled former minister is already facing 17-count charge of money laundering before the Lagos Division of the court, along with a former Finance Minister; Nenadi Usman, Danjuma Yusuf and a firm; Joint Trust Dimension Nigeria Limited. They were charg...
Post a Comment
Read more

Pope not involved in Colombian peace deal- Vatican

Pope Francis Pope Francis has turned down a request to play a role in the peace deal between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebel group. The Vatican in a statement issued on Wednesday in in Vatican City said that an invitation was sent to his Holiness in early August to appoint a representative to participate in the committee that selected the judges for the talks. The statement said that though Pope Francis supported the peace process, he, however, reiterated that he would not get involved in Colombian peace deal. It said that Pope was praying for the enlightenment of the hearts and minds of those who were called to promote the common good of the Colombian nation. A deal was announced last week, putting an end to five decades of internal conflict between government forces and the FARC rebels. The agreement, which needed to be ratified through a referendum in Oct. 2, would entail setting up a special court to grant amnesties or pu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Fall of Assad is a Blow to Russia's Prestige

The potential fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a long-standing ally of Russia, would mark a turning point in Moscow’s global influence, particularly in the Middle East. Steve Rosenberg’s analysis underscores the profound implications for Russia, which has invested heavily—both militarily and politically—in ensuring Assad’s survival over the past decade. This article delves into why Assad’s downfall would strike at the core of Russian prestige and what it could mean for the broader geopolitical landscape. Russia's Strategic Commitment to Syria Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, Russia has been a staunch supporter of Assad's regime. In 2015, Moscow launched a military intervention that proved decisive in stabilizing Assad’s hold on power. This intervention solidified Russia's role as a key power broker in the Middle East and demonstrated its willingness to project military power far beyond its borders. Syria is not just an ally for Russia; it is a...
Post a Comment
Read more