Ravages of poverty amidst campaign against corruption
The categorisation of corruption in Nigeria as an albatross cannot be argued to be a platitude. The menace has become a ravaging cankerworm which has eaten deep into the fabrics of the socio-economic and political architectures of the Country. The debilitating impacts have grown to know no small bound. The revelations of the deep seated profile of the charade that largely characterises the disposition of holders of public offices in the Country, majority of whom are known to be flagbearers of corruption, have seen corruption extending from the walls of public offices to every nook and cranny of the society. The extensive tentacles have most recently seen Nigerians, particularly the youth increasingly seeing sharp practices as the most handy adventures to resort to make cheap money. The resulting output is the reign of an orientation where the line demarcating what is ideal and ills is becoming leaner in the Country. The signals of corrupt disposition which majority of the custodians of public offices display have far gone awash the society with the orientation that drive closely to inclinations to acquire cheap money through dubious means. Hence, more Nigerians are subscribing to such misgivings against due processes and diligence. The transport of the ravages to the private sector have not been left out of the narratives.
The debilitating effects of the prevalence of corruption within the public sector over the years, have seen underdevelopment and its poverty associate prevailing in the land. The unemployment rate pegged at 33.3 per cent may be an understatement in expressing the depth of poverty seating in the land. The pronounced profile of underemployment viz-a-viz the definition of the profile of those gainfully employed in the Country, will be so infinitesimal on comparison to spark depressing reservations. Last Thursday, leading right group, the Social Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) had estimated the number of Nigerians earning less than N100,000 per annum to over 27 million.
The right group in a statement entitled ‘How corruption is plunging Nigerians further into poverty’ signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, on Thursday, had mentioned that the deep seated profile of corruption could be linked to the pronounced rate of poverty in the Country. According to the statistics presented by the Group, 48.9 per cent of the Nigerian population were living in poverty, earning less than N100,000 per annum, while 27.9 per cent, that is more than 15,663,456 of the population, earned between N100,000 and N200,000 per annum.
The statement, which was premised on a report presented on Thursday titled, ‘The Ignored Pandemic: How Corruption in the Health, Education and Water Sectors is Plunging Nigerians further into poverty’, had identified budget fraud, procurement fraud, embezzlement of funds, among other illegal escapades, as responsible factors for the ‘failure of service delivery’ to the masses. The group had argued that poor people are victims and not perpetrators of corruption in the health, education and water sectors in the Country.
The 61-page report launched at Ikeja, the Lagos State Capital, had maintained that, “Corruption contributes to poverty and consequential suffering of people living in poor neighbourhoods.”
The report had partly read: “Budget fraud, procurement fraud, embezzlement of funds among other illegal actions, lead to failure in the delivery of services, including education, water and health. People living in poor neighbourhoods have suffered so much that they consider poor service delivery as being good enough.” According to the breakdown of the statistical report, “57.3 per cent of people living in poor neighbourhoods were youths between 18 and 35 years old. Poor people are victims and not perpetrators of corruption in the health, education and water sectors. 48.90 per cent of people living in poverty, that is, more than 27,453,154 earned less than N100,000. 27.9 per cent, that is more than 15,663,456 (fifteen million, six hundred and sixty-three thousand, four hundred and fifty-six) earned between N100,000 and N200,000 per annum. 10.70 per cent earned between N201, 000 and N300, 000 per annum. 12.50 per cent earned more than 300 Naira per annum. 65 per cent of people living in poor neighbourhoods stayed in either one-bedroom or two-bedroom accommodation. Up to 4 per cent of people living in poverty, that is, about 2,245,657 (two million, two hundred and forty-five thousand, six hundred and fifty-seven) had physical disabilities.” Following the report, SERAP had urged President Muhammadu Buhari “to promptly propose an executive bill to amend the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended) to recognize Nigerians’ socio-economic rights, including the rights to an adequate standard of living, education, quality healthcare, and clean water as legally enforceable human rights.”
The analysis of the depths of the impacts of corruption on the socio-economic state of the Nigerian population would pose nothing but depressing narratives. It is high time Nigerians rose to the challenge of fighting the menace which has deeply consumed the fabrics of the Country. The sectoral impacts have only brought narratives of gross underdevelopment and inconsistencies. The diversion, misappropriation, and laundering of funds meant to drive growth into private pockets, have only left gaps which continue to compound to frustrate development. It is noteworthy that the present Administration had as one, if not the strongest pillar of its campaign thrust, the goal of fighting corruption, which it believed was responsible for the underdevelopment in the Country. The prevailing situations appear to be nothing better than the experience under previous administrations, as international ratings have recently shown Nigeria waxing worse in corruption index, while the conditions of economic profile is grossly wobbling into the mire of depression.
The inference which is drawable from the prevailing reality may not be incorrectly said to be a product of loss of sight from the promises. As others would argue, it is a product of confusion and/or weak political will to eliminate the claws of the endemic virus. Nigerians are suffering from the plight of conditions largely connected to the effects of corruption in the Country. The alarming necessity for a change in narrative is no way a gainsaying. If other purposes fail, it is believed Nigerians would be glad if the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Administration would only do one thing — achieving a course of grounding corruption in Nigeria by laying the foundation for a structure which systemically inhibits the possibilities of corruption in the Country. While some measures have been put in place, it is apparent they are too weak to tame the claws of corruption in the Country. Hence, the deep-seated profile of the menace has become an endemic cankerworm demanding ferocious motions to drive campaigns to institute systemic structures that generate reactions that readily foreclose the possibilities of corruption.
