Singer Etcetera, a Columnist with Punch Newspaper, is drawing attention of his readers to 2015 presidential election holding today. In his article of March 28, he is talking about corruption in electoral processes in Nigeria. Continue...
Call me whatever you want after seeing my headline, but I
very well know that within you, there is an awareness that the corrupt
candidate will win in today’s election, not the candidate who lives by said
morals. I have eight reasons for saying so.
Because every voter in Nigeria has his/her own hypothetical
belief that most politicians are corrupt and there is very little an idealist
politician can do to reform the system. So what difference would it make
anyway, even if an idealist manages to win?
Because the administrative system in Nigeria is outdated
when it comes to having a decentralised system for any public information and
this allows corrupt politicians to play their game with much ease. It means,
rigging is sure to happen today.
The corrupt politician knows how to get votes from the poor
– by gratitude. He gives you what is yours by right, and collects your votes in
return. Like the insignificant reduction in petroleum pump price.
The corrupt politicians fit well to complete the vicious
circle of our democracy. Didn’t you all notice that in the campaign for today’s
election, top business and media conglomerates in the country made gargantuan
financial contributions to the campaign of one of the candidates, and in
return, they are assured of his assistance to win their corporate game?
Politics in Nigeria works significantly on the idea of
personal interest first before anything else, while unregulated power and
immunity clauses have made corruption an addiction for the politicians.
As a country, Nigeria is suffering from the lack of
good/sincere men, which fundamentally increases the probability of corrupt men
hanging onto power.
Given the current economic stats and a stagnant GDP growth
rate, Nigeria does not have enough resources to fulfill the demands of a future
society which makes it rather hard for the corruption to go anytime sooner. It
is a significant problem and the problem is only going to get worse, and the
social differences highlighted in the runoff of today’s election won’t help
matters.
Corruption in Nigeria works like an organised crime – where
profits are justly divided among the partakers and members of our dead police
force do not only fail to fight it but rather take part in it and their excuse
have always been their low salaries.
Mark my words here, whoever wins today’s election,
corruption remains the same. Our national food is bribe and we really enjoy
eating it.
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