Covidly Corrupt: Curing the Infectious Mind -By Femi Amosun

The deadliest infectious disease officially known as COVID-19 is invincible and silently transmits from human to human. Shockingly, Corruption bears same similarities with COVID-19 with it fatal impacts all over the place. The Coronavirus crisis continues to test the ability of various Governments, and major Institutions, to find solutions to the Crisis. The Coronavirus Pandemic has plunged the global economy into a deep deep recession, which may lead to economic depression. According to the ILO (International Labour Organization), a total of 81 per cent of the global workforce of 3.3 billion people had their workplace fully or partly closed. Restrictions on daily life have led to the closure of many companies and laying-off staff.

In the midst of Coronavirus crisis, Corruption is quietly being triggered to the detriment of the unsuspecting target, the Public. Once again, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is enmeshed in mass Corruption with impunity. It is also inconceivable that the inaugurated IMC (Interim Management Committee) Members of the NDDC, who are supposed to be ‘educated’ and indigenes of Niger Delta are the very ones who’ve perpetrated the humongous scale of Corruption. Just like COVID-19, the negative impacts of Corruption are too visible to be ignored. As one of the few Nigerians (in comparison to our Population) who had the privilege of been educated in England UK, l can’t quite understand why majority of our public office holders are erratically driven by insane quest for Bribery and Corruption. It’s ridiculous to suggest that if someone dare challenge mass Corruption then the person is suffering from acute ‘Poverty mentality’

After the disgusting looting and sharing of public funds meant for the betterment of the people of Niger Delta, the IMC members decided to watch their dirty linen and lingerie in public, utterly embarrassment to decent Nigerians (home and abroad). In the process of trying to rationalize their corruptive acts and juvenile delinquency, some of the IMC cohort shamelessly jumped from one national Television studio to another. Common etiquette demands that when guest(s) appear on a Television show, or address an audience, they don’t throw, or start waving, their hands all over the place. Such netiquettes can easily distract the audience and defeat the main purpose of the message. SHAME is, indeed, not an uncommon commodity but it can be suppressed through decency and self-restraint.

I watched in dismay the show of shame and national disgrace exhibited at the NASS Public Hearing, whereby the Probe turned into a shouting match to the extent that they were unable to separate personal emotions from the crux issue of Corruption at NDDC. During the recent US Impeachment Hearing, we witnessed the disciplined conduct, high diligence, and professionalism displayed throughout the Trial. In our own case, the NASS lawmakers would appear to be more interested in aggrandizement and personal gains as opposed to applying decent decorum while performing their legislative functions for the betterment of all Nigerians, home and abroad.

To fully understand (and maybe learn), let’s conceptualize and digest the behavioural pattern common among the NDDC’s IMC members. The way you Think influences the way you Act. So let’s look at some interesting Psychological models to enhance our understanding of the precarious situation at NDDC. The Congruity Theory (Osgood and Tannenbaum, 1955) is concerned with the effect of one person taking a positive or negative position towards another person or object, and measured the evaluation of that position on a scale from +3 (highly favourable) to -3 (highly unfavourable), with a rating of 0 being a neutral attitude. Similarly, the Cognitive Dissonance Theory (Festinger, 1957) is also based on the premise that attitudes held by an individual tend to be consistent and that the individual’s actions are usually consistent with his attitudes. The Freudian Theory advanced the conception that all human actions are inevitable result of antecedent conditions. While an individual may exhibits behavior resulting from a freedom of choice, the apparent behavior could merely be mechanistic expression of his heredity and environment. Lastly but not the least,  the Trait Theory offer a more quantitative approach by looking at Personality as being composed of a number of predispositional attributes or traits. Such traits could be honesty, aggressiveness, sociability etcetera. From a rational reasoning perspective, the psychological core is the central feature of personality. It embodies an individual’s psychological state such as attitudes and beliefs, past experience and self-concept, and the cognitive processes that generates a characteristics style. Whilst attitude and norms can be modified or changed, belief and values cannot be altered.

It is, therefore, pertinent to understand that the so-called Interim management experts at NDDC were not driven by any philosophical exactitude or political ideology, but merely motivated by doppelganger (alter-ego), altered-psyche, recklessness, and brazen (shameless) Greed. The significance of their behavioural pattern is, therefore, not unexpected. The sad reality of the exposed Corruption and misdemeanours at NDDC fit into the profound negative narratives and perceptions of our Country. The public display of their sheer ignorance and naïve effectively means that these IMC members’ egoism and selfishness make them unfit for any Public Office(s). In International Best practice, Interim Management should consists of Accountants, Auditors, lawyers, and experienced Management experts, who really understand the principles and concepts of corporate structure and the nitty-gritty of day-day management of a complex organization. So the NDDC corruption mindset is not unique but just another covert layer of systemic Corrupt Practices across the board at all levels. The fact is you cannot be involved in Corruption and other crimes and then profess high moral ground on issues concerning social development and good governance.

• How could it be plausible for a humongous level of Corruption to manifest in our public organizations without dare consequences?
• How is it possible for a governor to demolish peoples’ houses with impunity?
• How could it be possible to allow abject poverty to magnify across the country while politicians manifest themselves in extreme wealth?

It is uncompromisingly factual that you don’t have to ‘live the experience’ of Europe or America to understand the age-long punitive measures against our race. Why should we be adopting parallel gross attitude against ourselves?

It is also inconceivable that after five years of APC-led government, Corruption is still far-fetched and remains an elusive dream of our time. The unclothed truth is that we, as a Country, can confront and defeat Corruption. After all we’ve succeeded in tackling domestic violence and rape. Human trafficking is also high on the agenda.

So how do we defeat Corruption? To defeat Corruption, we need strong Leadership with the ability to manage expectations. Some notable Countries have succeeded in curbing Corruption through strict Capital Punishment, Leg or Arm amputation. Perhaps we should remind ourselves that simply sending convicted corrupt persons or officials to jail is too costly, so Capital Punishment is a realistic solution. In addition, any politician or official convicted of Corruption should be named and shamed and their wives, children and family subjected to public humiliation. Make them to wear ‘Medal of Dishonour’. Once these punitive measures are introduced, and after few public acts, politicians, public office holders, and others would see Corruption and run away faster than their shadow. Such punitive measures are not in violation of human rights, but part of credible strategy to restore sanity in our country.

At this stage in our Nation’s narration, we should be able to see through the smoke and the fog. We should be fighting Corruption and a Political system that does not promote the general well-being of our citizens. May l equally accentuate that during the 16 years of PDP government, we actively observed the monumental looting and sharing of Public funds. The two biggest elephants, Accountability and Impunity, in the lucid shadow of PDP are now a common sight in the APC-led Administration. On one hand, we cannot be proclaiming that we’re fighting Corruption; whereas on the other hand our politicians and their collaborators are looting our very Nation dry.

We need to begin the process of building and restoring our national dignity and pride as a Country, and as Nigerians. The APC-led government must be inclined to protect our National interests; develop and preserve our resources including the Economy; Human capital; Political system and evolution; Social welfare; Physical infrastructures; Education system; Security and Safety; sustainable Healthcare; Commerce and Industry sectors; Public Institutions; Power supply; Job creations; and above all relentlessly improve the lives of Nigerians. The Federal Government needs to be articulating Policies that moderates behavior and checkmate all the Covidly-Corrupt loose cannons running around with dangerous infectious mind and irresponsible attitudes and quest for looting and stealing our Treasury dry. Nigeria needs non delusional, progressive, right-thinking and non selfish-minded Nigerians with genuine desire to help our country move forward.

For the sake of sanity and humanity, Curb Corruption, recover and invest stolen Funds, and transform our country.

Dr Femi Amosun writes from London, UK.  femi.amosun@nifom.co.uk