Corruption is a word that pricks, provokes and prods. It lives in us and is a global phenomenon. It is a deadly and infectious daily occurrence in our lives, and whether we like it or not, it will not go; no matter how we try to subjugate it. Man can only try to minimise it, but will certainly not succeed in its eradication.
I laugh rather hilariously when one is tagged, “Incorruptible”; for, everyone has his or her low point, which if deeply assessed, thrives only in the territory of corruption. Whether by design or default, act of omission or commission, we are all guilty of corruption because we are all involved. In short, the human race is corrupt, depending on the perspective it is viewed or assessed.
The Oxford Dictionary defines corruption as “evil, sin, bribery, dishonesty, bribe-taking, bad conduct and rottenness”, among others. Now, the question is: is anyone born of human, with the exception of Jesus Christ, that is free from all of these afflictions? Romans 3:23 in the Bible states, “For we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” The Bible further makes it clear that we are saved by grace, not by the work, lest anyone boasts.
John 8: 1-11 in the Bible also reveals man’s hypocrisy with regard to his sinful nature, and his ‘holier than thou’ attitude. In this portion of the Bible, we are told of how on adulterous woman was brought before Jesus by the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. In their bid to trap Jesus, they wanted to know from him his view or say on the woman who, according to them, the law of Mosses sentenced to death by stoning as she was caught red-handed, committing adultery. The Saviour (Jesus), fully aware of their intention, stooped and started writing on the ground. They persisted in their agitation before Jesus stood up and said to them, “If anyone of you is without sin, let him cast the first stone” (John 8:7). He stooped down again and started writing on the ground with his finger. After this, those who heard began to go away one after the other, with the older ones taking the lead, until only Jesus was left with the woman, still standing there. Thereafter, Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has anyone condemned you? “No, one sir,” she replied. “Then neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more,” Jesus declared. The accusers of the woman left without being persuaded, but they were pinched hard in the sense that, none of them could claim to be a saint. No one could affirm that he had not also committed adultery,
secretly.
This brings one to the recent contemporary event during the opening ceremony of the multibillion naira Economic and Financial Crime Commission headquarters in Abuja. On the occasion, President Muhammadu Buhari and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara made very strong comments which cannot be ignored as they are deep-rooted. President Buhari admitted that the anti-corruption war was not an easy one.
This, according to the President, is because corruption “affects so many different branches of our lives, so much that some people do not even consider breaking trust is anymore a crime. It has become the norm. This is why we must fight this attitude and encourage Nigerians to change their attitudes and perspectives.”
In his reaction, Speaker Dogara was forthright, saying, “The fact that are seated here, before us a President whose global acclaim has been corruption-free, I can tell you that he is not alone in Nigeria. There are millions of Nigerians that we come across day by day, that are corruption-free.
“There are millions of Nigerians that have not bowed their knees to the god of corruption and that fact must be emphasized.” Dogara
stated.
It is a fact that fighting corruption, especially in developing nations as ours, could be herculean and frustrating. This is due to, among others, the elevation of primordial sentiments to such a height that promotes and accelerate religious bigotry, individual or group interest, as against the progress of the society or community and as well the imposition and sustenance of social stratification.
I agree no less with the view expressed by President Buhari as well associate myself with Speaker Dogara’s stand on the existence of other corrupt-free Nigerians, besides Buhari. However, permit me to stay that without prejudice to the standpoint of the two on the issue of corruption, we all are guilty as we all are involved. I mean in this monstrous practice called corruption. The degree of involvement might differ but what is common and not disputable is that, we are all involved.
No nation, be it advanced or developing, is completely free from corruption. Both the giver and taker are guilty of the same offence. In fact, the holy books make it clear that seeing what is to be done and refusing to do same is sin. It is not only the acquisition of illegal money or wealth that is corruption. Corruption is all-embracing. The leader who refuses to do what is expected is corrupt. The leader who looks the other way round, while the followers are committing a crime is corrupt. The followers or the governed who insist always on rights and ignore their obligations is corrupt: Preferential treatment is corruption. Corruption is unlimited in its ramifications.
Right from the fall of Adam and Eve at the Garden of Eden, corruption and sin have been our bane and heritage. From this point, man has fallen and come short of God’s
glory.
Thus, our definition of who is corrupt or not is subjective, from the human standpoint, since we say or act on what we see or observe. What of the intention behind the act that we see and observe, which might not be known to us? After all, there is no means to read the mind’s construction. Notwithstanding, corruption is evil and what is bad, is bad.
As pointed out, we are all guilty of this act or crime known as corruption. To be free from this, there is the need for self-assessment and self-denial.
*Izekor, a journalist and public affairs analyst, is Member, Board of Advisers of The Point.
