The present mood in the country and the current approach to killing corruption before it kills Nigeria is laudable and commendable. Looters of the country's treasury are today jittery, unsettled and scared of the law enforcement and anti-graft agencies. They cannot rest or remain at peace with themselves. The spirit of the millions of impoverished Nigerian will forever haunt them. What a shame and pity?
The focus of the whole world is now on Nigeria and how she goes about her war against the scourge of corruption. Nigeria cannot afford to relent or fail and she will not fail. It is expedient to put the cart behind the horse by going after the corrupt individuals and groups of people, and following the rule of Law before clamping them into jail. It is also important to take the education and public enlightenment component of the war as necessary ingredients in the successful prosecution of the war.
From the vibrations and the buzz surrounding the recent 'delay' in the appointment of Ministers (as perceived in certain quarters), I have found out that many Nigerians may not be as serious about the war against corruption as one would have expected or as one had thought. Why should we be so concerned about these and other appointments when we have not put our house in order? There is need to quickly clean up the mess before the new Ministers, with requisite skills, integrity and passion for our dear country are brought on board.
The hullabaloo about Ministerial appointments were such that made one to wonder how many people would legitimately occupy the few ministerial seats. Why was all the furry and fuss? Further, it may simply be a pointer to the fact that the old practice of "King Makers" and "God-Fathers" may still be very much around. Are we not back to business as usual, with the attending pay back, rewards and returns, to these "mentors"? A grand return to corruption at the expense of good service to our motherland! I hope not, as this runs counter to the expectations of the majority of Nigerians.
The need for an active anti-corruption machinery cannot be overemphasized in Nigeria. I salute the guts of PMB for daring these greedy Nigerians who are ever ready to devise novel and innovation approaches to corruption on a daily basis. It is in the light of this unparalleled tendency of some Nigerians to be fraudulent and corrupt that this new Government must be extra prepared and committed to some heavy investments in relevant education and public enlightenment on corruption and indiscipline. People need to be reminded about the ills of corruption and be scared of the consequences by being bombarded and inundated with the anti-corruption stimuli.
According to the President, "our fight against corruption is not just a moral battle of virtue and righteousness in our land, but it is a fight for the souls and substance of our nation…..Corruption in our country is endemic that it constitutes a parallel system. It is the primary reason for poor policies, wastages and bare-faced theft of public resources." This being so, it deserves corresponding precautions and solutions by way of formal and informal education with continuous public enlightenment. While sundry appointments can be delayed, for understandable reasons, education and public enlightenment are activities which are urgent and immediate. These cannot wait! Our environment must be continuously saturated with anti-corruption propaganda. Nigeria cannot afford to relent in the campaign against corruption, for guaranteed cleansing.
The need for a comprehensive curricular review, at all education levels has been articulated in several quarters. This must be a reality in the entire Nigeria educational system. There must be a continuous anti-corruption, public enlightenment jingles and programmes which must rent the air in all states of the Federation and Abuja. The conscience has been described as a wound which can only be healed by truths. When the bell of integrity and probity rings in the ears of Nigerians (radio, television, Video), literates and illiterates, young and old, in different Nigerian languages and dialects, even the deaf will hear! When billboards and public awareness drama and videos are put out on Radio, TV, and public displays on the anti-corruption campaigns, even the blind will see! Only the dumb and the criminals will be left out!
All these stimuli will serve as reminders and cues in homes, offices and public places that corruption and indiscipline are bad and carry serious consequences and bring shame. The shame of a looter spreads like wild fire, widely to individuals, associates, families (children), and relatives of the corrupt.
It is my hope that when the current, internal political Ministerial appointments and battle is over, the war on corruption will start from all ministries in full force and the society at large, will follow. Perhaps the legislators will chip into the war, by crafting policies against all forms of malpractices (examination and others) in the educational system. More importantly, Legislators (Education Committee) will craft policies to mandate the integration of the necessary doses of anti-corruption contents into the Nigerian curricular at all levels. This is when the war can be seen to be fought from all fronts in Nigeria with utmost seriousness. This is a veritable way to prosecute this war, as a backup to the on-going judicial approach following the due process and the Rule of Law.
In the words of the President Muhammadu Buhari, "With the new administration in Nigeria, we have another window of opportunity and we hope we shall achieve the positive change that has become a national mantra. Our wasted opportunities must be recovered." Nigeria and Nigerians must abhor corruption and have zero tolerance for it. With a conscious effort, Nigeria's rating on the Corruption Index by Agencies must improve before long. Nigeria's image, and integrity among the comity of nations must be restored, as the giant of Africa.
No comments:
Post a Comment