Corruption - a societal cancer.

by Eze Eluchie

Well over two decades ago when I ventured into the then novel terrain of private sector initiated re-orientation of the Nigerian youth, with a view to contributing towards the building of a morally well-rounded sane society, one of the first questions I would always throw at my mostly teenage audiences before the commencement of what I termed Public Awareness Lecture series (PALS) would be: 'What will you like to be when you grow up and why?" In response, the youths will voice their dreams, expressing desires to become professionals in diverse fields proffering diverse reasons as the motivation for their aspirations.

As the years rolled by, the questions remained same but the responses remarkably changed. From the choice of Lawyer, Medical Doctor, Engineer, and diverse professions, the most common responses increasingly became: Politician, Soldier, Policeman, Businessman/woman and in a couple of outright brazen responses, some teens frankly responded that they would want to get involved in '419'! (‘419’ is the number of the section of the Nigerian Criminal Code which relates to the offence of advance fee fraud - a scam which many persons outside the shores of Nigeria have pitiably fallen victim). The change in responses was widespread, stark, startling and in any clime where there is interest in societal development, ought to have been a grave cause of concern for all – not so in my good old country.

The PALS sessions I organized or participated in, held across the length and breath of Nigeria with youths of diverse ethnic nationalities, from such towns as Igbokuta (Lagos State), Ihube (Imo State), Offa (Kwara State), Wusasa (Kaduna State), Kano (Kano State), Gwagwalada (Abuja) and across all the States of Nigeria. In other words, the pathetic phenomenon was truly nationwide.

What could have occasioned the degeneration in the ideals of our youth, our future?

The human nature gravitates towards self-preservation. Man, generally, tends to gravitate towards comfort-zones, towards where s/he perceives self interest, survival and needs will be best met, served or better protected. The very choice children and youths make in life is influenced by, above all else, what they observe as most likely to assure wellbeing in the society around them.

At the inception of my outreach programs, the youths obviously influenced by successful professionals in various fields had no difficulty in aspiring to be like such professionals. As the years rolled by, and society, consciously or otherwise, altered its definition and perception of success, it was only natural that our youths, ever desirous to be successful, like youths elsewhere, will alter their aspirations and dreams accordingly.

A scrutiny of the preferences of our youths in recent times as enunciated above will reveal that they are vocations which have flourished and blossomed using corruption as a pedestal. The corrupt politician and the '419' kingpin who are able to amass a fortune practically overnight and the uniformed law enforcement or security officials who are able to, with impunity and corruption, subvert the course of justice, for self benefit, now parade as the role models of our youth, our future.

Like a cancer, the corruption canker-worm crept into our system and metastasized to the present gigantean monster which threatens not just our present, but worse still, our future and to a great extent several societies that look up unto ours. Our failure to tackle corruption head-on when it first crept in, has now exposed us to the present sorry state of being in the terminal stages of a pathetic societal cancer.

As our contraption goes through the pains of this societal cancer, we are faced with the reality that mere analgesics, in the form of high sounding names of toothless governmental agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions (EFCC) or the Independent Corrupt Practices Commissions (ICPC) are insufficient to douse the pains of our cancer or cure the malady. The treatment for advanced stages of cancer is very painful, usually excruciating bouts of chemotherapy. At the stage we find ourselves, we are actually faced with the sole prospect of full scale exorcism, amputating the diseased segments of our polity which has been infiltrated with corruption.

Some say the number of amputations to be carried out will be simply horrendous - the response to that would be to inquire as to which option is preferred: removing a few thousands or risk a conflagration that will result in widespread sufferings, diseases and deaths on a proportion that will benumb the globe.

When we decide to commence the treatment that must be, some will say it is too messy, but that will be because they either choose or do not to see the pains we are presently going through or they are part of the causative factors of the cancer.

The operating theater is set.

Are we ready for the surgery?

Picture: Corruption