Every day, you hear
people talk about fighting corruption in Nigeria . Nigeria has become known as one of
the most corrupt countries of the world. Nigeria has also become known as
the centre of global poverty because of what has been described as “official corruption”.
The unfortunate thing about this fight, however, is that the government seems
to single out individuals who occupied or are still occupying public offices
and who are suspected of tampering with public funds for investigation and
possible prosecution. To my mind, this is a travesty of justice.
The
point to consider is that everybody in Nigeria is corrupt because the
system itself is corrupt. The food Nigerians eat is corrupt. The water they
drink is corrupt. Even the very air Nigerians breathe is corrupt. The system is
such that anyone who is not corrupt is cajoled, made fun of, marginalized or
dispensed with. Perhaps, a few examples will bring my contention home.