BNW

B N W: Biafra Nigeria World News

Home |   About Us |   Contact Us |   Members |   Search |   Subscribe |   Disclaimer |   THE GUARDIAN CONSCIENCE, NURTURED BY TRUTH LAGOS, NIGERIA.     Friday, July 02 2004   news   editorial/opinion   politics & people   focus/record   business   sports   metro   capital market   weekend   golf weekly   Guardian Chat Click to join the chatroom Govt as enemy of the people By Levi Obijiofor THE results of a recent survey of eight African countries may have escaped the attention of many of us as we battle a range of homebred problems and take delight in other leisure activities. One of the key findings of the survey was that, on a scale of pessimism, Nigerians and Zimbabweans are the leaders in Africa. Why are we so pessimistic about our governments and leaders There are of course major reasons why Nigerians who participated in the survey would feel pessimistic about the government and the political leaders. After more than 43 years of political independence, we can't seem to get the right calibre of leaders to take the country in the direction that the independence fighters fashioned for our future generation and everyone of us. We have lived for more than four decades with men and women who used subterfuge to govern and who argued they did their best for the country. In the process, they grounded the ship of state that would have taken the nation to the path of greatness. In those four wasted decades, we experienced lack of direction by governments made up of dishonest military and political leaders who put their personal interests and bank accounts before the national interest. In the 21st century, the trend has continued. At state and federal levels, governments make promises on a regular basis but hardly fulfil their promises. We have become despondent with our leaders and their uninspiring style of government. We also have no evidence that the current breed of leaders would perform better than their predecessors. In Africa, Nigerians are known to be among the most critical of their governments and social institutions but also the most loquacious. This was reaffirmed strongly in the survey conducted by an international polling organisation known as Globescan. For example, of the number of respondents surveyed in Nigeria, 75 per cent believed our leaders were steering the country's ship in the wrong path. It would have been interesting if the respondents had provided a list of the directions they would prefer the country to take. This result adds nothing new to our understanding of the characteristics of our own people. We live in a country in which everyone believes that he or she could govern our country better than President Olusegun Obasanjo and his retinue of ministers and special assistants. But isn't multiplicity of views one of the enduring features of democracy In a sense it is. In a democracy, everyone is free to express his or her views in regard to how the country should be governed. Political activists argue that a democracy is strengthened when people disagree rather than when they agree. But it must be pointed out too that agreement or consensus freely achieved does not weaken a democracy. Agreement or consensus could weaken a democracy if it is achieved by force or coercion. Perhaps what should worry everyone is the percentage of Nigerians (66 per cent) who believe the country is more corrupt now than last year. Again, this result offers nothing new to our understanding of the level of corruption in our society. What is baffling about this result is the one-year comparison in the level of corruption. In the last one year, there has not been a change in the leadership of the country. President Obasanjo was re-elected last year. He has been in office since 29 May 1999. Between last year and now, he is still the captain of the ship called Nigeria. Most of the state governors were also re-elected last year either by fair or foul means. Between last year and today, Obasanjo and the state governors have added a new group of ministers and commissioners in their list of servants while they have also retained some loyal courtiers in their cabinet. In this context, how do we explain the belief by two-thirds of the respondents that Nigeria is more corrupt today than it was last year It could be that the new kids on the block are more corrupt than the old breed politicians and public servants. But there is no certifiable evidence to support this comparative opinion. Even the recent report of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, which unearthed shocking evidence of gross abuse of office and widespread corruption among government workers, did not provide a comparative insight into the level of corruption between last year and this year. What is incontestable and still reflected in the recent study of African countries is that two-thirds of Nigerians believe that corruption is widespread in our society and that it constitutes a major obstacle course in the nation's march toward social and economic development. At a dinner and award ceremony in Abuja last week, Obasanjo expressed his repugnance at the reported level of corruption in the country and acknowledged that the Trojan Horse known as corruption was galloping ahead of everything else in the civil service and needed to be checked. But his prescription for checking corruption in the civil service suggested again that Obasanjo's anti-corruption soul train has run out of coal supplies. Obasanjo told his guests at the dinner: "To be able to push sufficient changes in the direction of public service capacity building requires that we review and strengthen our management development institutions. Accordingly, I have mandated the Head of Service to immediately embark on a policy of catch them young to bring into the service young graduates from tertiary institutions with first class performance in their colleges. With their ambition, motivation, creativity and capacity to learn, they will be the high flyers that will move the civil service into the contemporary age of precision-driven efficiency and effectiveness." Obasanjo's prescription medicine for controlling corruption and injecting efficiency in the country's civil service is a mere wish. Yes, the young ones may possess the energy, drive and initiative required to achieve efficiency in the civil service. But we need to keep in mind that corruption and efficient performance do not go together. In fact, efficiency is the flip side of the corruption coin. You cannot be corrupt and also perform your job efficiently. Anyone who claims to possess both qualities should be recommended to undergo psychopathological check. It is in my view a dubious combination of human qualities. To the best of my knowledge, there is no empirical or qualitative study carried out in Nigeria or elsewhere that provides direct evidence suggesting there is a positive relationship between youthfulness and honesty. In fact, there is nothing in our tertiary institutions to suggest that the younger a student is, the more honest that student would be if and when he or she is entrusted with major responsibilities. This argument is not designed to cast aspersions on the integrity of students in the country. There are of course some students who are honest and upright in principle and practice. However, we need to go by the facts and evidence available in the tertiary institutions. As an indicator of the level of corruption among students in tertiary institutions, Obasanjo should take another look at the level of examination malpractices and other corrupt activities in those tertiary institutions. Examination malpractices are high and on the rise in the tertiary institutions simply because students engage in examination malpractices in concert with some academic and administrative staff. In most cases, money and sexual favours are exchanged. If Obasanjo wants to show greater commitment to his anti-corruption campaign, he knows what to do and where to start. He has on his desk reports of corruption and abuse of office in various federal ministries. Corruption cannot be eliminated or reduced by merely appointing young graduates into positions of responsibility. � 2003 - 2004 @ Guardian Newspapers Limited (All Rights Reserved).  Powered by dnetsystems.net dnet�

	BNW News
Voice of Biafra | Biafra World | Biafra Online | Biafra Web | MASSOB | Biafra Forum | BLM | Biafra Consortium
	© 2001 BNW BiafraNigeriaWorld  Privacy Policy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Powered by ACENetwork ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Axiom PSI Yam Festival Series, Iri Ji Nd'Igbo the Kola-Nut Series,Nigeria Masterweb