When I heard the news
about the sack of the head of the Economic and Financial Crime Agency (EFCC) in
Nigeria, I shrugged my shoulders and whispered ‘humbug’. My immediate reaction
is understandable. Corruption is a way of life in Nigeria. And government is
the most corrupt institution. You may say this is not peculiar to Nigeria. But
I assure you that in Nigeria it has been taken to an incredible height. Forget the
rating in the global corruption index. Politics is the biggest business in the
country and is a magnet for the most corrupt. Social structure, behavior,
recognition and role models are all geared to corruption. For somebody to have
the opportunity and yet refuse to dip his hands into the public purse is the
highest measure of stupidity in the country. So what has been the work of the
anti-corruption agency you may ask? Oh that’s simple; to fight perceived political
enemies. And yet Nigerians in their utterances continue to blame all their woes
on corruption. Sometimes I wonder at this disconnection between their actions
and statements. Are they just parodying statements from the developed west and
international agencies or they are really convinced corruption is bad for the
development of the country? May be sacking and replacing the head of the EFCC
once in a while is another smart move on corruption. It’ll convince
international partners and investors that the government is serious in reining in corruption. Yeah now that I thought of it, that must
be the reason!
