SIR: Corruption has been with us for long so we need to be diplomatic in solving it. In fact we need a 20-year plan to reduce corruption from 75% in the public sphere to less than 30%. It will never be an overnight battle and corruption can never be totally eliminated anywhere in the world.
Without believing in the country, any money that is budgeted for development will be diverted. Fact is that over 70% of leaders in Nigeria don’t believe in Nigeria, so we need to work on our belief system. Pensioners are not paid; graduates cannot get jobs even after waiting for 10 years. Minimum wage goes nowhere, naira is facing serious trial. One should not be deceived; corruption will thrive in this environment.
According to the revenue mobilization commission, N1.1trillion naira is being paid to 17,000 workers in Nigeria as salaries and allowances from the President to the councillor, about 10% of the federal and states budget. This is very unfair but to pay N18,000 minimum wage is a hard task. The National Assembly’s budget is N115b for less than 4,000 persons (their aide’s and workers inclusive) while a state of three million persons has N100b as budget. Their oversight function have not increased electricity or built new refineries in the past 16 years. N20billion budget is more than enough for the National Assembly. Our president, lawmakers and ministers are one of the highest paid in the world but our minimum wage is the lowest in the world. Inequitable distribution of wealth equals corruption.
The government needs to establish the anti-corruption ministry which will work with the National Orientation Agency to develop subjects and courses on corruption in our primary, secondary and higher institutions, appeal to our religious institutions to verify the zakat, tithes and offerings they receive, carry out anti-corruption seminars in the civil service, appeal to all Nigerians to shun corruption, produce adverts, dramas, soap operas and movies on the ills of corruption. This will help the nation greatly.
About 70% of lawyers in Nigeria are corrupt; they are out to defend their income no matter the source. The government needs to reform the judiciary and set up anti-corruption courts.
The Presidency and the civil service are riddled with corruption. Some are experts at paddling the budget, while others are ghost workers generators. A law should be passed to prevent any public servant from obtaining court injunction against being investigated. Once a public servant, it must be possible to be called at any time, even after 50 years, to explain the role you played in any department of the administration.
Fighting corruption selectively is corruption itself.
David Atta,
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