the noxious greed by Benedict Ahanonu
Greed is a strong desire for more; it is also addictive in the sense that once it is embedded in the nature of a person or a group of people, it is difficult to stop.
One common characteristic of greedy people is desperation. They are willing to do anything to get what they want. They are also jealous and selfish; but greed becomes noxious when it distorts an establishment or destroys opportunities for the advancement of the common good through a tenacious grip on the psyche of great majority of the people that occupy a geographical area.
Greed is also contagious and unless it is checked, it becomes a pattern of behaviour that gains acceptability willy-nilly amongst a group of people. Some will call it culture of greed and any society ruled by it, flounders on the threshold of success. In other words, the trajectory of development in such a society is vitiated irreparably.
Greed remains appealing because it synchronizes with personal aggrandizement, vaulting ambition without talents to match. This is the reason why in any greedy society, the end usually justifies the means and as they say in Nigeria: "if you can't beat them you join them."
Do you know that it is only man that has greed as part of his character traits? This is one of the hallmarks of Satan, which was inherited at the Fall. Other animals only satisfy their immediate personal needs. They do not accumulate wealth.
Satan and his cohorts are greedy hence, any society ruled by greed is satanic because in such a society only the privileged few amass and control all the wealth leaving the rest of the population at the mercy of fate. It used to be so in feudalistic Europe until a change came over the minds of men.
Today, the rich and prosperous nations are referred to, as the West, irrespective of the geographical location and I must tell you that these prosperous countries enjoy enduring economic success because of their ability to control the level of selfish greed that make people peculate and work against the common good.
The progenitors of these prosperous societies saw in advance, the futility of personal aggrandizement and how delusive it could be and decided to create an egalitarian society that guaranteed accountability, free enterprise and other freedoms that have sustained economic prosperity for centuries; conversely, in Africa, it is still a case of the law of the jungle, nourished by greed. Every action, every thought, every dream and just anything is inspired by greed.
African economies are in disarray because the greedy rulers have not only squandered the wealth of these nations, they have also destroyed the sources of such wealth. The notorious Mugabe of Zimbabwe is still in power (out of greed) even when it is clear that majority of the Zimbabweans no longer want him to continue. He employs devious tactics including rigging of elections, outright intimidation of opponents, subjugation of the people through questionable patronage like the controversial land redistribution programme and others.
In Nigeria, the efforts of the greedy rulers have only succeeded in impoverishing a potentially rich country. Due to greed, oil, which was intended by God to be a blessing to the country, is now a curse. Certainly, Nigeria as a nation, stopped enjoying real economic prosperity from the moment oil was found in vast quantities. Presently, corruption, which is a by-product of greed, has fatally damaged the very essence of the nation, as everybody called Nigerian is technically corrupt.
While the Norwegians are saving part of their oil revenue for the future, the Nigerians are spending all. Year after year, billions of dollars are siphoned out of the oil proceeds and lodged in Swiss and other European countries' bank accounts or used to buy expensive houses and hotels abroad. Often, the favoured Europeans and Americans welcome them with the phrase: "The greedy monkeys are here again with their people's money." Quote me.
Out of selfish greed, the so-called rulers and economically advantaged will travel to Europe and America, see and enjoy the best facilities including medical but will never want to provide such things for Nigerians. If Indians can perform, complicated heart surgery and kidney transplant, Nigerian doctors can equally do better with the availability of commensurate facilities. Out of selfish greed, politicians with bare academic qualifications and specialized knowledge, would appropriate millions of naira as remuneration for themselves while the qualified professors and dons are paid a pittance and when they strike as a protest, they are labelled "greedy."
It is only in Nigeria that you will find poor men that become very wealthy after holding a political office or position and nothing will happen. The other day I saw a group picture of all the presidents that have ruined Nigeria and I was close to tears. I learned that the photograph was taken after a National Council of State meeting when President Goodluck Jonathan was decorated with the national honour of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR). Now, I want to ask this greedy group, is GCFR all that Jonathan needs to be successful? Which United States President was so glorified with the highest honour of that country while in office?
If I were them, I will bow my head in shame because in the first instance, none of them can be said to have emerged as a genuine choice of the people and secondly, it is their individual and collective greed that have made the country nearly inconsequential in the world.
Until Nigerians can find a way to halt the noxious greed in them, the country will continue to wallow in backwardness.
the noxious greed by Benedict Ahanonu
By: BENEDICT AHANONU
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