THE HAVOCS OF CORRUPTION

THE HAVOCS OF CORRUPTION ON SOCIETY!

"Corruption is sown in the mind and germinates in the society".

In defining corruption; I term it as the gross abuse of authority, and to suit this purpose, I will divide corruption into two, namely: political and petty corruption.

Political corruption is any transaction between private and public sector actors through which collective goods are illegitimately converted into private.

While petty corruption is the everyday corruption that takes place at the implementation end of authority, where public officials meets the public. Petty corruption is bribery in connection with the implementation of existing laws, rules and regulations. It refers to the kind of corruption that people can experience more or less daily in their encounter with public administration and services like hospitals, schools, taxing and licensing authorities, electricity companies, banking to mention but a few.

In talking about the effects of corruption on society, it is a known fact worldwide that, corruption is an enemy of progress, as it breeds poverty and death, so it is clear that no other factor than corruption has suppressed the growth of the nation since its existence…
While corruption affects society as a whole, it eats deep into an already tight budget and extra expenditures means cut in other basic needs,

My research show that the poor pay a higher share of their income on bribes than the rich.
The burden corruption places on the poor gets aggravated by the fact that they are more dependent on public services than the rich; the poor simply cannot afford using private hospitals or private schools and therefore are vulnerable to demands for ‘kola money’.…in addition, subsidized and aid-like facilities targeted at the poor get mis-allocated to the non-poor.

Corruption also leads to infringement of civil and political rights as corrupt leaders will be reluctant to relinquish their hold on the national purse and may resort to human rights abuses in order to stay in power.

Corruption increases public investment, while decreasing its quality and productivity, companies mark up their contracts in order to include kickbacks for public officials presiding over procurement decisions and other counterparts demanding bribes throughout the procurement chain; to cushion the extra cost, these companies use materials of inferior quality or in reduced quantity to reduce cost on the assignment. And since everyone involved in the project benefited from kickbacks no one speaks up. And who bears the brunt? The poor masses.

Factors responsible for corruption?"

Several factors have been given for fuelling corruption in our country. They range from low public sector salaries, and secrecy in government to bad procurement practices.
But, by far the most dreadful is the nation’s eroded value system; it is now unfashionable to scold a child at home or school. Or to refuse to tip police, doctors, teachers and even petrol station attendants who offer services they are paid to deliver,

Having stated these, the question that comes to mind is: which way out?

The Way Out!

Combating corruption requires a complex approach that addresses the many causes, facets, and structure issues that corruption entails…An effective anti-corruption strategy must be built on five key elements which include: increasing political accountability, strengthening civil society participation, creating a competitive private sector, establishing institutional restraint on power and improving public sector management.

There is no doubt that Nigerians are tired of corruption and corrupt leaders. Hence there is need for current leaders to give zero tolerance to corruption and also lead by example as anything short of this may lead to a REVOLUTION! 

And i would be glad to be part of any "masses centred' revolution!