Tackling corruption the soft way

Nigeria is at war and the war is mostly within, from all corners, north, west, east and south. From the Boko Haram insurgency to banditry, constant kidnapping that is giving people sleepless nights across the country to agitations in the south and west. While at the centre, youths are angry with the government for not providing jobs for them. Also, those at the centre have been accused of mismanaging public funds that are supposed to be used for the people.

All of these and many Nigerian challenges have been blamed on corruption, which for a long time has made everyone of us victims in one way or the other. Corruption has had its toll on our sovereignty, security, national and economic development, good governance and democracy, as well as serving as a dent on our country’s image in the eyes of the world. There are actually two sides to corruption; the side of the giver and that of the receiver.

A man arrested by the police for example can pay any amount of money to secure his release; students can pay any amount to their lecturers to help them pass exams. A traveller can pay any amount to get train ticket from either Kaduna to Abuja, a public office holder can use his position to secure a huge government project, a Vehicle Inspection Officer and other traffic inspection officers can use their position to engage in racketeering numbers & car plates or any other document, market men and women have strategies of cheating customers. Yahoo boys can disguise and obtain money by false pretense in the name of love scam, husbands and wives all have their ways of getting a piece from corruption.

Most people engage in corruption because they want to enrich themselves to the detriment of the many that should enjoy the services. In an effort to fight corruption the soft way, Nigerians need to collaborate with the relevant agencies. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is at the heart of this fight as the commission is not only mandated by the law to prevent it but to prosecute it. From the public to private sector, all agencies and ministries of government must collaborate in any way possible to bring this menace to its knees. The EFCC has reiterated that it cannot fight corruption alone and this is because it takes two to tango in corruption, the giver must be willing to give and the receiver must be willing to receive.

Through collaboration, we can also prevent corruption even before it happens. The aim of those who engage in corruption is to enrich themselves, there is need to be very proactive. Being proactive means working with institutions to identify corrupt conduits and ensuring these corrupt conduits are eliminated from the system.

Abbas Abubakar Umar,

Jabi, Abuja.

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