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Abdraheem Ismail Opeyemi
A thorough clarification of the concept of corruption and development qualifies them to be global phenomenon. Although the concepts are conflicting but yet the reality of the day provides that they should be discussed concurrently. There are distinctions in traits of corruption from one country to another likewise the levels of their development, nevertheless the question of point of divergence need to be answered.
Corruption and development are the greatest challenges facing Africa, particularly Nigeria. The manifestations of the menace have hindered development in multiple ways; this has made corruption topical in national discourse. The position of corruption in the Nigerian context can be compared to that of a devil and an angel, one is evil and one is good but the evil prevents the good from reflecting.
Corruption in Nigeria is not as nascent as we might think; it has been shielded by opacity and lack of accountability for a very long time. Technological advancement should be extolled for its significant contribution to the wide dissemination of information through the media. However, it is imperative to state that governmental efforts have also been made which includes but not limited to the establishment of anti-corruption agencies such as EFCC, ICPC, TUGAR, BPP etc, setting up advisory committee like PACAC, enacting laws to fight corruption and host of others but yet corruption seems insurmountable.
The transparency international (TI) has pegged Nigeria to be on number 153 on its corruption perception index report of 2017 arrived at through her perceived level of public sector corruption; this sounds unexpected considering the quantum of resources and number of institutional mechanisms that are invested into the fight against corruption on a yearly basis. But there is no gainsaying in the fact that anti-corruption efforts are deliberately disrupted by the beneficiaries of graft, it is nothing but the manifestation of how powerful and huge corruption has grown in Nigeria..
It is interesting to state that development on the other side of the discussion is a mirage in Nigeria. Researches have revealed that the level of infrastructure, employment rate, equality level and rate of poverty to mention but a few are necessary indices employed in the measurement of development. Meanwhile, a reality check of growth and development in Nigeria exposed that there is huge infrastructural deficit, minimal employment rate, lack of equality and high level of abject poverty in the country.
In a nutshell, development is conspicuously unacquainted to Nigerians considering the enormous challenges they are faced with, part of which are; the artificial security situation, self-inflicted hunger, prevalence of cheating, abuse of human right, outdated education and health care system and host of others. The aforementioned in positive are supposed to be the bedrock of development in Nigeria but rather they hinder the progress.
Surprisingly, it is the fundamental responsibility of the government to ensure growth and development, the big question now lies in why has Nigerian government over the years not lived up to expectation in the area of development? The answer is not far-fetched, it is corruption. Just like two parallel lines, corruption and development cannot meet because they are antithetical. Funds that are meant for developmental purposes are lost to corruption, monies appropriated to fight insecurity diverted into personal purse, employment opportunities are reserved for the children of the privileged in our society etc. All these are just instances of how corruption feeds monumentally on allocations for development while it continues to keep development aground.
By extension, the parallel line illustration of corruption and development provides that the two variables tap on each other’s weaknesses to thrive. Corruption is clearly a consequential outcome of lack of development while development is a product of a corrupt-free society. In other words, the analogy suitably juxtaposed the impossibility of having extreme corruption and sustainable development coexist within a society; Nigeria will not be an exception.
From the foregoing, inference can be drawn that corruption is an enemy of growth and development and as such harmful to Nigerians. It is also very important to accept the fact that saboteurs of anti-graft efforts are littered everywhere in the system which will require that we change our way of doing things. Anti-corruption is a marathon and not a hundred metres dash, therefore, all Nigerians should brace themselves for the challenges ahead, because there is no alternative to achieving sustainable development than tackling corruption.
In conclusion, as a means of recommendation, it is highly imperative that for Nigeria to win the anti-graft war, the Nigerian value system needs to be reviewed to include a critical restoration of the ancient ways of socialization to include childrens upbringing, education reform, regulation of religious activities, examination of media contents etc and the establishment of specialized anti-corruption court to avoid justice delayed is justice denied. May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Opeyemi is the Programme Officer (Governance & Human Right) of Good Governance Team, Abuja.
