Candidates, please harp on corruption
This year’s election is somewhat unusual due to the fact that an array of candidates threw their hats in the ring. No electoral cycle in Nigeria, to the best of my knowledge, witnessed such a huge interest in the apex office of the land. At the last count, a total number of 72 persons are jostling for the seat of the president. Campaigns are on-going, and a number of candidates had unveiled their manifestos. But I have observed that most candidates are not really hitting the nail on the head. Corruption, the hydra-headed monster bedevilling the Nigerian state, is a household name. Despite observations raised from different quarters revealing the dire consequences of a corrupt-ridden society, not much had been done by successive governments in tackling it. We have seen a government that turned the anti-corruption crusade into an avenue to hound perceived enemies. We have also seen the one that patted corrupt elements at the back giving them room to milk the Nigerian treasury dry. In all, one thing is clear: corruption is still pronounced in Nigeria, and people are not afraid to engage in corrupt practices day in day out. The control system is weak and less vibrant.
We must understand that corruption is the deadliest menace battling Nigeria. Once the fight against it is seen to a logical stage, the Nigerian problem is solved to a large extent. Students of history will agree with me that there is no disagreement among scholars that Nigeria is a buoyant economy. The irony however is that this had not translated into development .
Corruption is the reason our graduates are unemployable. It is the reason why we are an oil-producing state with no effective refinery. It is why we house the richest man in Africa, yet we are the world capital of poverty. A country plagued with corruption will go nowhere!
To get rid of corruption, leaders at all levels - especially the president - must not tolerate looting of public treasury. If death penalty can go for it, all fine and well. Meritocracy rather than mediocrity or provincialism should be embraced in employment or appointment. Our future leaders can borrow a leaf from China and other countries that grew from grass to grace as a result of declaring emergency on corruption. A candidate that is not interested in taming corruption will always have problem if he emerges.