Treat the Causes not the Symptoms
One of the resounding warnings I get from my doctors is that we should avoid the error of focusing on symptoms. That you are running a temperature doesn’t mean you have malaria. Nor does not seeing your monthly period mean you are pregnant. Therefore, run tests, identify the cause and deal with that.
In the same vain, when we say Nigeria abi Nigerians are corrupt; have we stopped to find out why we are corrupt? What is responsible? As we chase the symptoms of corruption and talk about them, are we checking ourselves so we don’t have to continue this talk?
Corruption includes but is not limited to abuse of office privileges. We see this where an officer resorts to extortion before they carry out their legitimate service, where funds are diverted to personal use or contracts are inflated. In some cases it’s outright theft.
I believe we should seek to know why these happen and continue to happen. Then we should take steps to eliminate these whys.
Some of the causes are wrong tone by the leaders, who tend to pay less attention to integrity and porous policies that make implementation almost impossible. Where rules are not monitored, chances of abuse are inevitable. Poor and unfair reward system enhances the resolve to self help and this hurts the entire system.
While it is good to send a strong message that Nigeria has zero tolerance for corruption, it’s expedient we don’t walk backward. We should address fighting corruption now and in the future, by eliminating those things that enable it thrive. While at that we should actually punish all identified culprits; past and present. We shouldn’t be selective.
We should not make chasing after the symptoms our focus. Let’s deal with the cause/root and corruption would die a natural death.
A good one O5. I agree with you that if we eliminate the things and environment that makes corruption thrive we would finally bury this old time enemy.
I agree with your thoughts on treating the root cause although I feel your write-up would have carried more weight if you’d given a few examples of root causes of a problem and how it manifests in corruption! Well done for keeping it real.
Many thanks. I get your point. I thought I should leave it open as what works for one may not work for another.
I’ve done some slight update.
Very precise
Thank you Osila. We really do need to ensure that there is a clear and well defined price to pay for misappropriation of public funds and property. May that time come soon!
I totally agree with you on dealing with the root causes and not the symptoms. I was warming up, rolling up my sleeves to read your thoughts on the root causes and suddenly……… the post ended!
You owe us a ‘part B’! That would generate the much needed discussion and rubbing of minds that will take us closer to the solution.
I’m watching this space…….!
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Many thanks Ima. I have done some update.
Great analysis. You touched all the bases. Well done.
Osila a good write up. One thing though many people have given up in finding the source of corruption because its deeply rooted and has become a way of life. A 20 year old may not know a source of corruption if he or she has witnessed all her/his life corruption as a way of life, how then is the root tackled? However there is hope as we continue to ‘name’ them.
Many thanks for sharing your thoughts. Part of the challenge as I see it is our loss of value. Now, every and anything goes. We don’t ask questions. We don’t challenge stands that don’t augur well with us. We don’t want to attract attention and we don’t want to be the ones to save the world. If and when we begin to ask questions and test the system, I’m sure we would get positive results.
Well done Onene. The heading for the report has recurred over time in several platforms maybe bearing different appellations but it is like we have been unable to pin down this multi-headed hydra. The one that bothering me presently is a situation were lecturers detain students in school for extra sessions (not semesters now) because them no ” cooperate” not minding the cost and time implications for the student and their sponsors. One of my teenagers has just been booked for an additional session to make it 6 years in school for a 4 year course. She is supposed to be through with NYSC by now but no, she is still trying to plead with her course supervisor to treat her like he would his daughter. Wetin we go do cos the girl is really feeling frustrated now. This is serious corruption.
Why can’t she ask for her scripts to be re-marked? I had a similar challenge back in Uni and it was my major course. I had to challenge it, ignoring classmates warning. I was vindicated and the lecturer resigned. Sometimes we need to challenge some of these bad conducts otherwise they remain with us and become monsters.