From Chidi Asonye, Umuahia
Unless the widely acknowledged system and ideology of make them poor and rule over them by political office holders die in Nigeria, corruption will still remain in the country for many years to come.
This is the assertion of the Abia State Coordinator of National Anti-Corruption Volunteer Corps of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, NAVC/ICPC, Rev. Blessed Amalambu, when he bare his mind to journalists while marking the 2020 World Anti-Corruption Day in Umuahia
His words, “The policy of make them poor and rule over them is very, very outstanding in Nigeria. That is the policy Nigerian leaders have adopted. This is the prevailing system in the country. That is what is obtainable right now all over Nigeria. We should seriously look into this cankerworm”.
The NAVC/ICPC state Coordinator who accepted that the level of corruption in the country in the first republic has become so insignificant, compared with what is on ground now disclosed that Nigeria went two steps down the ladder in corruption rating from what it was in 2018.
“In Nigeria, our problem is greed and nepotism and this has affected everything we do. Our thought, actions and socialization have been controlled by greed and I will say without apology, that present day politicians have not helped matters,” he had posited.
Rev. Amalambu had alleged further that, “When they go there, they form policies and programmes just to enrich themselves, make their allowances and salaries so bogus, so outrageous and enticing; and then salaries of workers, so minute to a point that it now generates jealousy. That is why everyone is running into politics”.
According to him, corruption, rather than decrease is increasing in a very outrageous rate in the country insisted that first republic political leaders did not amass so much wealth but were rather occupied majorly with the development of their several regions, hence the level of development recorded at that time.
“In the first republic, corruption was all time low because it was during that period that Michael Okpara, as Premier of Eastern Region, laid significant foundation for the all-round development of the present South East geo-political zone. So, even when in 1966, Kaduna Nzeogwu and the coup plotters were crying wolf over corrupt practices in the country then, corruption has risen to the apex. It is not going down, but growing astronomically, seemingly unabated,” he had stated.
He graded corruption in the country as micro and macro and had alleged that in macro corruption, often times funds earmarked for development are either laundered into foreign countries, or go into personal pockets rather than the projects as budgeted.
