Bravo! Farida Waziri
I strongly believe that any time the name Farida Waziri is mentioned, it provokes a discourse on corruption due to the fact that she is on the front line of the battle against all forms of corruption in Nigeria and I feel that it is appropriate that she is in that position at this very point in time.
Frankly, this article is all about corruption and I only intend to discuss the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) sparingly.
Corruption is any dishonest or immoral behaviour from someone with power and over the years, it has come to be associated with Nigeria.
Right across the world, there is nowhere corruption is as vicious as it is in Nigeria. From the glittering city of Abuja down to the various states and other outlying regions, corruption is flourishing. Everybody knows how to do it and it is delectable. In the churches, schools, communities, villages etc it is raging like wild fire. From the pulpit to the pew, corruption is commonplace. It used to be small scale or rather insignificant until after independence.
Some may argue that the level of corruption during the first republic cannot be compared to what is happening now; but inasmuch as that may be true to an extent, I must state that the level of corruption in an era is directly proportional to the time in question, magnitude of resources available, the level of sophistication of the culprits and degree of acquiescence on the part of the victims.
Therefore when put in context, corruption in every era is debilitating and eats deep into the available resources that would have been used to improve the living conditions of the masses who are the rightful owners of the resources.
It is noteworthy that no society or nation makes progress while cuddling and fraternizing with corruption. In essence, the wealth of any nation makes sense when there is an equitable redistribution of such wealth otherwise, there will be gruesome imbalance in the polity, which will also ignite numerous social vices that may become so vicious that the rich', or wealthy' will no longer enjoy their loot.'
Do you know the reason why there are social and economic strata in every society? It is because the factor of inequality regulates life on earth. Do you know that when the wealth of a nation is redistributed equitably, it boosts the economy in the sense that the money in the hands of the masses will come into a common pool through various economic activities, which will create more wealth in the process.
Let me give these examples to illustrate my point. The first example is an engine that needs engine oil to function properly. If for any reason a part of the engine did not get enough supply of the oil, the whole engine will be endangered. Another example is the basic family unit or what sociologists call the nuclear family. If the major income earner (and in most cases it is the man), for any reason decides to spend the income alone without making money available for feeding and upkeep of the family, there will be friction, redundancy and even rebellion in the family which will ultimately haunt him. In the end, the decision of spending the money alone instead of redistributing it would have damaged his family terribly.
The foregoing instances clearly mirror the Nigerian problem. Because those in authority by hook or by crook and who are also in control of the nation's resources cannot allow a fair redistribution of such resources, the consequent redundancy and idleness gripping the masses, have given rise to tension manifesting in the form of kidnapping, armed robbery, what I call common prostitution' (because elsewhere, prostitution has class), internet fraud etc.
It is now fifty years since Nigeria started as a nation but things have degenerated so much that the foundation if any is quaking and the main bane is corruption. In fact, the common endorsement of corruption here is in the form of the phrase, if you can't beat them, you join them.'
As I said earlier, no nation on this earth progresses alongside corruption and that is why nations who are desirous of real prosperity and development operate with the principle of zero tolerance.'
In China, it is death penalty for any act of corruption and very recently, a senior state official was executed for corruption. In Taiwan, ex-President Chen Shui-bian and his wife, were sentenced to life jail after a corruption trial that found them guilty of embezzling state funds, laundering money, accepting bribes and forgery but when you consider the amount of money that was embezzled, you will shudder with mouth agape; just a paltry 830,000 US dollars. I call it paltry because it is insignificant when compared to the billions of dollars that state officials embezzle in Nigeria without qualms.
Come what may, Nigerians need to know what happened to a blessed country and one destined for greatness but which has been trying to start for the past fifty years.
Fellow citizens, do you know that at the end of every corrupt term in office, what we hear is the hackneyed clich: at least I have been able to keep Nigeria united.' Nonsense! United to what extent? United with hunger, abject poverty, state treasury emptied, insecurity, unemployment, darkness, make-believe democratic process of selection and imposition as election?
With all the billions that have accrued to the nation since the miracle of Olibiri, what can we show for it? Why is it that other nations are progressing while Nigeria is retrogressing? Why can't the refineries work? Why is Nigeria, the 6th largest producer of crude in the world, an importer of refined petroleum products for over a decade now? Why are most Nigerians so reticent and docile? I think it is because such people want to get on the bandwagon or have already joined. Nigeria is indeed a monumental case study of how not to run a nation. This is a nation where everyone is operating with the reverse gear. Roads are constructed and reconstructed every fiscal year because such roads are not durable and slightly reinforced. Every bit of infrastructure is decaying and the corrupt gods are not to blame because Nigeria is still united.
However, I found solace in the golden remarks of the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mrs. Farida Waziri, when she was speaking in Kaduna, as Guest Speaker on the 10th anniversary of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF).
According to her, "corruption is the biggest killer disease in Nigeria and the war against corruption may not be won and Nigeria would end up a failed state unless death penalty is introduced to eliminate corrupt Nigerian officials."
I say bravo! Waziri for mustering the courage to speak out against the corrupt gods. I pray that they will not blacklist you because of this deed. Truly, you have proven that you have the will to deal with corruption but the power I am afraid, you do not have and may never have because those that will empower you to deal a decisive blow to corruption are the same people. Can they pass a death sentence on themselves by themselves? It is very unlikely except something very drastic happens.
May God help Nigeria.
Bravo! Farida Waziri
By: BENEDICT AHANONU
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