The
only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing –
Edmund Burke
Introduction
Corruption which
is a challenging issue is a global phenomenon. It is pervasive and traverses
ethnic, class or faith boundaries. There is no justification for corruption in
whatever disguise. In biblical context, Corruption has been endemic among
humankind ever since the fall (Genesis 6:11-12). While some get caught up in
it, others resist it. The fact is that none can simply afford to ignore it. As
Christians, we must not turn blind eye to or condone corruption. It is a
serious matter and its destructive impacts should be of concern to all. Therefore,
the issue must be high in the agenda of our homes, schools, Churches, Mosques
and the society. Individual Christians in government, business and academia can
play a part both individually and collectively in combating it. Regardless of
gender, race or status, human beings have been assigned the task of building a corrupt
– free society called the reign of God. This paper shall briefly define
corruption, examine the forms, causes, consequences and the role of religious
leaders in combating the menace of corruption in the Nigerian society from a
Christian perspective and also pose challenges and make some recommendations.
Definition
Generally,
Corruption is seen as the abuse of office for personal gain. The Oxford
Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines Corruption as dishonest or illegal
behavior, especially of people in authority. It is the act or effect of making
something change from moral to immoral standards of behavior. Corrupt
persons are people who are willing to use their power to do dishonest and
illegal things in return for money or to get advantage. According to El-Rufai,
corruption covers a wide range of social misconduct including fraud, extortion,
embezzlement, bribery, nepotism, influence peddling, bestowing of favors to
friends, rigging elections, abuse of public property, the leaking of official
government secret, sales of expired and defective goods like drugs, food,
electronics and spare parts to the public.
Our internal raging Battle and Choice
It
is my believe that there is a battle raging and it is the battle of the mind. As
a people we can learn from this beautiful native wisdom taken from the Irish
get up and go 2011 Diary challenging us to the decisions and choices we
make: A Grandfather from Cherokee Nation was talking with his grandson. ‘A
fight is going on inside me’ he said to the boy. ‘It is a terrible fight and it
is between two wolves’. ‘One wolf is
evil and ugly; he is anger, envy, greed, self pity, resentment,
selfishness, inferiority, false pride, lies, guilt, arrogance and wars’. ‘The other wolf is beautiful and good;
he is friendly, joyful, generous, peaceful, loving, humble, kind, just,
compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude.’ ‘The same fight is going on inside
you, and inside every human being.’ The grandson paused in deep reflection on
what his grandfather has said’ then he asked, ‘Grandfather, which wolf will win
the fight?’ The elder Cherokee replied: ‘the wolf that you feed. ’Yes, it seems
we have been feeding the evil and ugly wolf in us and as a result our country
is bedeviled by all manners of criminal activities, terrorism and anarchy.
The most vital question
Obviously, understanding corruption is the first step of
fighting it. Also understanding how societies function and what principles that
guide them will also help. The vital question: what part does corruption play
in your life may seem ridiculous, strange and foolish to ask an audience such
as this. As Christians and Muslims, we would say we have nothing to do with it,
but the reality is that whether we recognize it or not, we are all caught up in
one form or another of corruption and its consequences. Sadly, much of Africa
has been massively afflicted by corruption over the decades. The reality and
painful effects of corruption are visible in every day facts of life in
Nigeria. So the need to do more in the fight against it. We should stand united
as a people to tackle fundamental values and mindsets.
In his Paper delivered at the
Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos August 5, 2004, Reverend Father George Ehusani rightly observed
that Many Nigerians, including seemingly pious Christians and Muslims, who
would go to war in defence of their religions, have no qualms of conscience
when they pay to obtain yellow cards without the necessary inoculation for
which the card is supposed to be evidence. Many of our countrymen and women who
flock our churches on Sunday and fill the mosques on Friday are at one time or
the other involved in such fraudulent activities as evading tax, issuing and
obtaining of fake receipts, over-invoicing and under-invoicing, importation of
fake drugs, petty and large-scale bribery, fake audit reports, “creative
book-keeping,” “round-tripping,” advance fee fraud, etc. All these practices
are so commonplace and so widespread that many young Nigerians are today unable
to distinguish between good and evil or between right and wrong.
Corruption
of our times
In his article Nigeria: ‘Unasked Questions about Corruption’, Femi Falana noted that Corruption in
Nigeria, no doubt has assumed a dangerous dimension, which percolates all the
strata of the society. The civil society is not spared in this menace. In fact,
it has so much eaten deep into the fabrics of our society that the hitherto
insulated places have now been taken over by corruption. Rather than being a
conscience of the masses, the civil society has become a tool in the hands of
corrupt people. Our NGOs have become corruption vessels and the effect is what
we see today – a society without conscience. Foreign aids meant for specific roles have
been converted to personal use. Gone were the days when NGOs stood and spoke
for the oppressed masses; now, they are agents of retrogressive, oppressive and
corrupt personnel. The situation is even made worse due to the proliferation of
NGOs where people just register organizations whimsically.
Hypocrisy,
dishonesty, falsehood, deceit and fraud are the rage of our day, the great
plague of our world. All around us are swindlers and fraudsters masquerading in
different forms. The prevailing atmosphere is unfortunately that of
deceptiveness, fraudulent impressiveness and the apparent false pretensions and
counterfeit appearances. In fact, the story is the same everywhere. Corruption
and dishonesty has continued to be part of everyday life in many countries.
Daily, we hear stories of managers and top politicians who embezzle and
squander the money entrusted to them and are subsequently dismissed. Accounts
of falsified documents, misuse of funds, bribery and corruption, forgery and
counterfeiting, corrupt governments brought about by dishonorable politicians
and office holders. These unholy ambitions and activities which account for
many of our problems in the world leaves us completely disillusioned tormented
and unfulfilled. It seems the world has abandoned all principles of morality
and honesty. It might be helpful if we consider for a moment the various forms
of corruption.
Forms
of Corruption
Corruption
which is the abuse of office for personal gain is widespread in Nigeria and manifest
itself in all aspect of our national life. It takes some of the following
forms:
·
Bribery
·
Diversion of public funds
·
Tax evasion
·
Selling Justice for money
·
Sales or leakage of examination
papers
·
Lecturers asking for sexual
favors
·
Policemen converting security
check points to collection and extortion points
·
Favoritism in contracting
process
·
Appointments and admissions
through connection
·
Promotion of ethnicity where
provision of social, political and economic privileges are given to a
particular groups of people.
·
Over-invoicing and falsification
of results and other documents
·
Immigration officers collecting
money to issue international passports
·
Money laundering
·
forgery and counterfeiting
·
Illegal trade arms
·
Misappropriation and misuse of
public funds
·
Violation of office oaths, political
patronage and looting of public funds
·
Divide and rule techniques
creating division, disaffection and disorder.
In
fact, corruption has stagnated our centers, institutions, economy and life
leading to poverty, deprivation and unemployment.
Root Causes of
Corruption
The spiritual root of corruption is the
human heart. For Jewish Christian Scripture, evil
is not part of God’s creation but originates in the human heart. Human beings
are conceived in evil and every inclination of their hearts is evil from
childhood (Genesis 8:20-21; Jeremiah 17:9). When human hearts are not in
fellowship with God, they are preoccupied with their own interests and fail to
accept God’s will as the norm of action (Romans 3:23; 5:12). Evil rules over
the personal acts of human beings isolated from others who ignore the common
good, and they tend to develop selfish culture of corruption.
The Holy Bible offers clear teaching on
the causes and consequences of corruption and also provides the godly
alternatives.
·
Selfishness,
greed and moral decadence (James 4:1-3). Envy and selfish ambition produces
disorder.
·
A state of spiritual decay and moral dishonesty arising from the effects
of sin. Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’ (1 Corinthians
15:33). Put away from you a deceitful mouth and put devious speech far from you
(Proverbs 2:24).
·
Our minds are prone to corrupt thoughts, ambition and greed (Titus
1:15-16). Corrupt thoughts give rise to corrupt speech and corrupt actions
(Proverbs 19:28; James 3:6).
Consequences and
impact of Corruption
The disturbing trend
of corruption has devastating consequences for the well being of the society. Its
impact is extremely damaging and dangerous.
·
It threatens both public institutions and social development.
·
It is the greatest obstacle to personal, communal and national growth.
·
It is an obstacle to effective governance and leads to crooked illegal
practices
·
It is an enemy to development and damages equity and fairness. Economic
and social development have been systematically undermined by corruption.
·
Discourages people to work for the common good, thereby reducing
productivity and hindering development.
·
It leads to breakdown of trust in the public services and institutions,
ultimately leading to civil disorder.
·
It deprives people of access to basic services and amenities.
·
It marginalizes the poor and worsens poverty
·
It causes social injustice by generating inequality in resource
distribution and often leads to oppression, poverty, tragic conflicts and
violence.
Role of Religious Leaders in Combating the
Menace of Corruption in Nigeria
To put an end
to the brutal tyranny of corruption and terrorism causing horrendous
destruction to our already powerless and vulnerable citizens whose lives are
fractured by greed and fear, good leadership, good governance, and good
democratic management of the whole society is absolutely important. George
Ehusani spells out their roles thus:
ü Religious
leaders must denounce institutionalized violence, political corruption and all
forms of exploitation of people. They can help turn many Nigerians away from what
appears to be an incredibly high sense of devotion to the cult of material
prosperity and material success towards the spiritual values of truth, justice,
holiness and purity.
ü Christian
leaders and groups can use the message of the cross to promote a modest and an
austere lifestyle that will contradict the crass materialism and extreme
economic liberalism of our age which is responsible for the worsening plight of
the poor in our country and elsewhere. Muslims can do the same with the notion
of sacrifice which is a key element of the three Abrahamic religions.
ü Popular religion in contemporary Nigeria which
lacks the essential components of sacrifice and a critical social conscience,
has inadvertently supported the monumental pillars of corruption in the
country. The challenge before us demand that we take a critical look at our
penchant for scandalously expensive churches and mosques, harbouring stingingly
rich and nauseatingly flashy priests and pastors and imams, whose marks of
success include palatial mansions, state of the art cars and fat bank accounts!
No, Nigeria needs religious leaders and groups of austere disposition who would
spearhead a moral revolution and an ethical re-orientation for a nation and its
people that have been brought low in the course of a protracted midnight of
debauchery.
ü Religious
organisations in Nigeria can use their influence over people’s consciences to
bridge the gap between religious ritualism and social morality. To dislodge the
evil dispensation by which Nigerians of all walks of life seem to have decided
that the price to be paid for honesty, fidelity, truth, hard work and diligence
are too high, and by which they have settled for the short cut and the quick
fix, and by which they have resorted to mutual betrayal, calumniation,
opportunism and manipulation in the bid to make it by any means foul or fair, religious
organisations must take up the challenge of constantly highlighting to their
members the deadly consequences for the body and the soul, of those seven
social sins identified by Mahatma Gandhi, namely: “Politics without principle;
pleasure without conscience; wealth without work; commerce without morality;
education without character; science without humanity; and worship without
sacrifice.”
ü Religious leaders must help governments and companies to
implement international legally binding measures against corruption.
Transparency and integrity should characterize citizens involved in the
building up of an environment that is totally free of corruption.
Femi Falana sadly pointed out that the roles
of religious bodies in the fight against corruption have also become a source
of worry. These bodies have become haven for corrupt individuals whose monies
are used to sustain them. Instead of speaking the truth, religious leaders have
suddenly become appendages of the ruling class using their vantage position to
enrich themselves at the expense of the poor members of their congregation who
often see them as next to God.
Why is it that in spite of the stinking
poverty in the country, religion is hastily becoming another source of
psychological trauma for the ordinary Nigerian? A poor man goes to church or
mosque and is greeted with SUVs and other flashy vehicles belonging to the
cleric. Even when the congregation cannot afford to eat two balanced square
meals in a day, some of our religious fathers deliberately or inadvertently
display wealth? Do the religious fathers think about repercussion of some of
their actions? How many religious leaders are so committed to feel for the poor
families in their congregation to a point where they are touched to leave out
some of the worldly things like gold wrist watches and of recent private jets?
For a good number of youths, it is not therefore evangelism or the love of
Christ that makes them heed the call, rather it is a bid to become like my
pastor in materialistic wealth. Most especially, while industries are
grounding, religious structures are rising.
Today instead of Church challenging and changing the culture, we see material
greed, professional pride and rivalry and lack of mutual accountability
subverting it.
Our
Collective Challenge as Christians
Yet,
the hard fact is that, in the midst of this world that is often cruel,
grasping, skeptical, hostile, deceptive and materialistic, Christians are
called to give courageous public and private witness to Christ’s love,
truth and justice. we are challenged to embrace the virtues of hard
work, perseverance, honesty, integrity, honor, responsibility and
accountability to build a secure, prosperous and happy future for our land. The
heart of the matter is the matter of our hearts. Let us not die with heart
failure. We urgently need a heart transplant, where no dirt or filth
shall defile us; and we would become clean vessel in the hands of the Lord. As
J. B Philips said: ‘Those who are hungry and thirsty for money, fame, sex,
power, success, are forever unsatisfied. They have the doom of perpetual thirst
upon them. The more they get the more they want. Those who thirst for goodness,
however, thirst for what they are made for – hence they are satisfied.’ (
Matthew 5:6). For we are made for righteousness as we cannot do anything
against the truth, but only for the truth (2 Corinthians 13:8). It is crystal
clear for us Christians that the only way to live is the way of righteousness,
always in right relationship with God and doing the right thing. Let us ask God
to evangelize our hearts and take away all filth and impurity.
Recommendations
While
we commend the Federal Government Constitutional effort in the fight against
corruption through the regulatory and anti - corruption bodies such as Economic
and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and
other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), much more need to be done
collectively by individual Christians in government, business and academia.
§ We
recommend Christian education to the values of the reign of God. We should
considerably deepen our understanding of the moral principles and ethical
values upon which a healthy society should be based.
§ Sensitizing
citizens on the dangers of Corruption and education to a culture of
transparency and accountability.
§ Personal
commitment to honesty, transparency and accountability is vital for collective
action. We must bring our Christians vision and values to bear in our secular
work, motivated by love and profound respect for the dignity of the human
person.
§ Create
a deep rooted anti-corruption culture through good governance and concrete
anti-corruption policies
§ Make
strong legislation against corruption and ensure compliance through strict
enforcement of law and corrective/punitive measures.
Conclusion
It
is not enough to confess Christ in the Church and at prayer fellowships. We
should resist the world temptation bravely and resolutely. Give testimony and
bear witness to the gospel openly and fearlessly. For if we want better life
and simple justice for our people, we must continue to witness to Christ
through the life of prayers and selfless service, for the salvation of souls to
the glory of God. We can witness to Christ by making our homes, institutions,
centre and organizations places of honesty, love and understanding by standing
for Christ and working faithfully to the end. We must remember that justice and
peace for all means promotion of equality of rights and equality of
opportunities for integral human growth and development.
Therefore, let us not sit back and sink in despair
and resignation. We must choose to live for God and allow Him fight the battle
for us, because the battle is His. Let us stop this madness of corruption and
unite to build a corrupt free society to alleviate the suffering of our people.
Now is the time to battle on with the
faith in God that conquers!
I sincerely thank you all for your attention.
QUESTIONS TO GUIDE GROUP DISCUSSION
1. Whatever you do, do it to the glory of God. Do I do
things for the glory of God, or do I think first of myself. In what way do I
need to change with all the turmoil in our economy and allegations of
corruption in public and private organizations in order to do all things for
the glory of God?
2. There is no justification for corruption in
whatever form and we want change. What is it that we can do beyond talking?
What difference can we make?
3. How can we create and strengthen an umbrella
organization that can influence public policy, set ethical standards, monitor
local and international aid and expose corrupt practices?
Rev. Fr. Michael Adefemi
Adegbola, Director Media Service Centre Kaduna Nigeria, 2014.
ENDNOTES
4. George Ehusani,
Religious organization and the Challenge of fighting Corruption, Paper
delivered at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos August 5,
2004.
5. Femi
Falana, Nigeria: unasked questions about corruption.
George Ehusani,
Religious organization and the Challenge of fighting Corruption, Paper
delivered at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos August 5,
2004.
Femi Falana, Nigeria:
unasked questions about corruption.
George Ehusani,
Religious organization and the Challenge of fighting Corruption, Paper
delivered at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Lagos August 5,
2004.
Femi
Falana, Nigeria: unasked questions about corruption.
