WHERE DOES CORRUPTION BEGIN? AT HOME? AT SCHOOLS? RELIGIOUS HOUSES?

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We are so quick to label our politicians as corrupt because we feel they are professionals at diverting government funds and mismanaging the state’s resources for their own benefit.

We are so quick to label the Immigration officer as corrupt because she told us to grease her palms before she can hasten to process our International Passport.

We are so quick to label the Nigerian Police Force as corrupt because many of them stand at the roadside to collect ₦50, ₦100 or ₦200 from motorists and forget their primary duty of safeguarding lives and property.

We are so quick to label NIGERIA as corrupt because the country is “not working” and it is as though there is no solution to the corruption in all facets of the country.

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YET!

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We don’t see ourselves as corrupt even when we bypass the deposit/withdrawal queue in the Local Banks because the Branch manager is our friend.

We don’t see ourselves as corrupt even when we take gifts to people to directly or indirectly influence them to vote us for a position we are vying for.

When WAEC students use “Special Centers” to write their exams, we forget the word called “Corruption.”

When Students use fake result to get into tertiary institutions, we don’t remember that the word “corruption” is also applicable to them.

When parents go to their Children’s schools to influence the school teachers to always give good grades to their children, we forget that there is a word called “corruption”; in fact, “does the word exist?”

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WHERE DO WE THINK CORRUPTION BEGINS FROM?

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Do we think it only comes to us when we attain the age of puberty, adolescent or adulthood?

Do we think children have special immunity that prevent them from learning them from learning corrupt practices from us?

We forget that the little things we do in front of children matters a lot.

Parents fail to realise that they teach their children bad habits from their behaviour. Older siblings do the same to their younger ones. Yet, when these children grow older, we expect them not to practice corruption.

Oh No! If possible, they will be worse.

And we keep breeding a generation of corrupt people whose “corrupt ideals” will supersede their previous generation.

Yet, we think corruption will end magically.

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BUT IS THERE A REMEDY TO THIS?

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We all agree that corruption is like a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the roots of every sector of the Nigerian government, but is there a workable solution to end corruption or reduce it?

Even “Bubu” who promised to kick corruption for good is also promoting the worst form of corruption in his government.

So, is there a possible way out?

There is no remedy or cure that can expunge or totally eradicate corruption from the Nigeria, and the world by extension. However it is possible to reduce corrupt practices to the barest minimum.

I believe fighting corruption is not the work of the government alone; It is the work of everybody.

The family is the bedrock of the society; it is the little society. It is the first institution where the child gets informal education, religious education and moral education, amongst others. Thus, it is the work of parents to do the right things at all time, to teach their children and to do it before them so that they emulate them.

The school teachers have the duty of helping the pupils and students grow in the practice of virtues and acts that shun corruption.

Religious leaders should also preach what is right and practice what they preach. It is one thing the preach and it is another thing to practice what you preach, yet the best way to teach someone is to practice what you teach/preach.

It is the work of the Government to uphold honest practices in all the various arms of Government: Executive, Legislative and Judiciary. Thus, they need to be impeccable in order to pass fair judgment to others and uphold justice.

Corruption should be shunned at in every level, and everyone should be active in this task.

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Although it is not possible to eradicate corruption for good, we can try as much as possible to minimise the practices and occurrence in our homes, schools, churches, society, state, country (Nigeria) and the world.

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Thank you for reading my post, I would love to hear what you feel in the comment section below

This post is an entry for the Hive Learner's Week 9, Episode 3 topic on Bribery and Corruption