Nigeria; An ocean of unexplained wealth -By Isa Eneye Mubarak

Back when we were kids,  I recall it, on quite many occasions I would go home with a fancy gadget toy gotten from my friend, usually the pretty rich kids, my mother would often question me immediately she sees it and most times ask me to return them. Often, I save money to get these toys myself, and yet when I get home I still have to explain how I managed to get them. I believe most of us grew up with such parents who questioned our unexplained toys, clothes, phones and the rest.

But what I never understood was what happened to that culture of questioning unexplained wealth, why do parents and the society no longer question unexplained wealth? There a child would be, unemployed, but comes home with the latest iPhone and all other luxuries and no one question the source. The parents thank God their child is now doing alright. Alright from what?

The sad truth is, most parents are aware of what their children are in to, they are aware their children are fraudsters, but as long he as he can keep on providing comfort for them, it’s all good. Its all competition in the materialistic society we now live. Everything around us sings praises of materialism. The moment the society decides to glorify materialism and shame poor people was the moment they approved all sorts of fraudulent means to become materialistic. Nigerians are ready to become rich and amass wealth by any means necessary. That is why they boldly engage in drug trafficking in countries they are fully aware its penalty for drug trafficking is death. 

The case of Invictus Obi as seen last week and the 80 Nigerians arrested by the FBI for fraudulent activities didn’t just emerge from nowhere it was borne out of our glorification of instant success and unexplained wealth. No one cares where the money comes from; these fraudsters are often the most respected in Nigeria. What is more sobering, however, is that the subliminal message seems to be crime pays. They are everywhere, in politics, in entertainment, in schools, in police, in activism and even in our homes.

However, Nigerians are mostly outraged because the FBI discovered this, they are outraged that it may hinder their visa application or perception. If the EFCC did this it might never be taken seriously; the government will be accused of witch-hunting hardworking youths. The case of Naira Marley comes to mind.

Corruption has defied every leadership strategy and has continued to eat deep into the fabric of Nigerian society. For instance, the Student unions are the factories where leaders of tomorrow are manufactured, and that is exactly why the future is a scary place. I know of no student organization in this country that has not been bitten by the corruption bug. How you handle small business is a clear indication of how you’ll handle big business. If you are reckless with N10,000, you will be reckless with N1,000,000. If you are corrupt as a ward councillor, you will be corrupt as a governor. Principle not applied to small things will never be applied to big things.

Believe it or not, there are Nigerians all over the world who make their living honestly. It may shock you, but there are scores of Nigerians out there who wake up every day of their lives and hustle very hard, without a gun in their hands or cruel intentions in their hearts. Some of them are doctors, artists, specialists, sportsmen/women and entrepreneurs who get screwed by people refusing to pay them for their services and continue to hustle hard. They don’t commit crimes for their money; they don’t exploit anyone and they sure as hell don’t steal from the poor.

But one drop of red oil on clean white clothing will continue to be the centre of attention just like one drop of stain can corrupt drinking water. There may be wonderful Nigerians all over the world, as long as the issue of internet fraudsters and all forms crimes are not tackled, the whole country will bear the brunt of its consequences.

Isa Eneye Mubarak Tweets @IsaMubii isamubarak66@yahoo.com