Hello dear Hivers.
Today’s contest topic in the Hive Learners community is a pretty interesting one because I thought we were not ready for this conversation.
Corruption is inevitable and has been happening for as long as one can remember.
It does not only start and end with higher authorities, it is also done by people around us. But if you ask me, the blame is on the minority because we tend to emulate after them.
We live in a world where we’ve normalized and act on the phrase “The RICH gets RICHER”.
Where it’s no longer our business to call out the ones indulging in corrupt practices because it’s a non ending list.
Where even the ones we are required to report to are also corrupt.
It goes on and on.
In my country, corruption happens to be one of if not even THE biggest problems of all time and it has affected and is still affecting us in the most dreadful way possible.
It is not news that Africa holds an incredible amount of mineral resources. Ranging from precious metals, oils, minerals, fossil fuels, gems etc but how come we are considered the poorest?
I remember watching a video of an Arab guy speaking on natural resources.
He said “Nigeria has everything but they are known to have nothing but In Dubai we have nothing yet now we have everything. Why? Because we have good leaders”.
I hate to admit but that is nothing but the truth.
Good leaders or good governance are crucially useful and significant to a country’s growth. Dubai is a perfect example, according to the Arab guy said.
THE IMPACTS OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA
It’s ironic how;
We suffer fuel scarcity but own loads of fossil fuels.
We are greatly endowed with large amounts of Bitumen (a natural resource needed to construct roads) and yet we still have numerous bad roads.
Our currency has little to no value but we consider ourselves as the “GIANT OF AFRICA”.
or how;
Our reputation decreases because you need connections or bribery to acquire our national passport.
In our federal institutions, you cannot cope without bribing some lecturers. As a result of corruption these lecturers are owed salaries and it leads to strike which in turn delays in students graduation.
Our police force harass its citizens unless they “settle them” like it’s their obligation.
And Lastly as a result of no presence of uncorrupt judges, we are almost lawless.
These are some of the few negative impacts corruption has cursed blessed us with.
Further more, because it’s deep rooted I honestly don’t think corruption can be stopped but hopefully it could be reduced to a minimum.
A WAY OUT
To my understanding, the most effective way would be to start with the political sector.
The head of every country.
We should simply;
- End impunity and introduce accountability.
- Elect able and exemplary candidates.
- Expose corrupt practices and activities and penalize those involved.
- Introduce honesty and transparency to the masses.
- Ensure that public workers effectively and efficiently do their job.
I believe if these are carried out, every other problem would be dealt with easily and we would proudly own up to the title “AFRICAN GIANT.” After all every other sector in the country is doing incredibly well.
In conclusion, quoting the Arab guy’s statement; GOOD GOVERNANCE is key.