SARS Vs Nigerian Government: Who Is More Corrupt? – Common Sense Solution -By Victor A.

Nigeria, popularly known as the ‘Giant of Africa’ has commanded respect for most of its history, specifically post-independence. However, as citizens yearn and call for a democratic government, we see the opposite which I will describe as anocracy. I began to ask myself – are the political ideals in Nigeria theoretical or is it indeed, practical? Again, one could argue that these ideals are mixed, but the reality is that Nigerians deserve more, and the government must be accountable to its citizens.

The most widely known negative connotation to Nigeria is ‘Corruption’. Yes – the nation is still developing, but how do you explain embezzlement of public funds and blatant/nonchalant attitudes by government officials? Shifting to the issue of internet corruption or Yahoo Yahoo, I commend the efforts of the Nigerian government in tackling issues of internet fraud, but how efficient are the proposed solutions a.k.a SARS? It seems to me that policymakers or top government officials believe searching citizens and forcefully entering their devices will solve the issue of internet fraud. How Ironic!!!!!

As a scholar of political science and information science, it is my opinion that a developing country should not proffer solutions that lack accountability. This will only add to the hypocrisy and promote ragged practices of corruption. For example, are there accountability measures in place for the SARS unit? Unsurprisingly, ‘all hell breaks loose’ when Nigerians took to the streets in different cities across the nations and protested police brutality #ENDSARS.

What is the way forward: Basing my judgment on the motive of establishing F-SARS in Nigeria, I believe the goal is to eradicate/limit internet fraud in the nation. Now, with the advent of information technologies and emerging media, there is an untapped avenue to strategically tackle the issue. I believe the war against internet fraud is 1oo% cyber; therefore, the Nigerian government must channel resources to the appropriate path. This is not rocket science, THIS IS COMMON SENSE!