Corruption is a Nigerian

By Joseph Edgar . . . .
Corruption is a Nigerian I tell you. The only way it can be stamped out is for us to effect mass genocide and since this is not possible then we should learn to live with it. We must throw up laws that will regulate it, and attempt to give a level playing field while still allowing us achieve whatever we plan to achieve as a nation through corruption.
You see, eradicating it is a journey in futility. We are so ingrained in it that it is now a national past time and culture and truth is that we do not have the kind of funds or time to engage in the futility of trying to eradicate it. We should just accept it and learn to live with it, but making sure that everybody no matter the ethnic divide or social status has continuous access to it.

Let me give you some small examples of how we can never eradicate this thing called corruption. A friend had to get our international passport for his son very quickly. He made some calls to different immigration officers he knew and got all kinds of quotation ranging from N18,000 to N35,0000 . Please note that the system of getting the passport has been digitalization and as such the idea of going through touts was expected to be totally removed.

Now my friend naturally went for one of the lowest bids which happened to be N22,000 because this was coming from one of the most senior officers in the place. On the appointed date, he got there and was quickly directed to one of the touts, who within five minutes procured birth certificate, sworn age declaration and other such documents needed. He was made to jump the queue, have his fingers thumb printed and taken in to snap the picture and here was the major huddle to be crossed.

Read also: Dasukigate: Who is who in Nigeria?

My friend’s son had lost his international passport and to get a new one, he had to go to Abuja. He was advised not to bother since he was in a hurry and that the amount charged would sort out the whole thing. But on getting to the point of snapping, the officers there in their full starched uniform refused to bulge and insisted that he must go to Abuja. Negotiations immediately commenced.

Laughter became my friend’s partner. All sorts of reasons were given by the owner of the transaction as to why his client could not go to Abuja, all this was rebuffed. He tried to pull rank and gave firm instruction, but still he could not pass through. The issue was that these set of officers knowing the game very well knew that he had collected some money and were eager to be part of it.

To him, he hadn’t collected enough and as such was not eager to share. He said he took pity on the little boy and collected the minimum amount and that he never shared out of those people’s transactions when they passed through his stage and did not understand why they wanted a share out of his own at this stage. He ended it by calling them greedy and a disgrace to the service.

This was quite remarkable since he was the leader of the gospel fellowship of the department who should know better. After the fight, seeing that he could get nowhere he came back to the clients and said the fee was now N35,000 or they head up to Abuja. Clients said they were ready to go to Abuja and asked for a refund and got the shock of their lives. There was no refund since the money was already used to procure the original documents and pay for the services already rendered and that the best he can do for them was to forward the document to Abuja so that when they get there it will already be waiting for them there.

My people my friend had no other choice than to cough out the balance of the money and right there in his presence the money was shared with much abuse amongst themselves before they could proceed.

So corruption my people does not just begin and end with the Dasuki wahala, it is ingrained in us; at the airports, on the road, in shopping malls and churches where the biggest scams are being perpetrated . Now POS machines are passed round in churches to collect funds and tithes that are not receipted or even regulated.
We are just a different breed. Corruption is us and we are corruption, that’s all.

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