It is obvious that corruption is
widespread in Nigeria due to certain incontrovertible reasons. One of the
causes of corruption in Nigeria is maladministration that has bedevilled the
country over the years. Maladministration by successive governments over the
years has caused infrastructural dilapidation. The failure of governments in
performing their statutory duties of meeting the socio-economic, educational,
housing, roads, healthy, welfare and security needs of the masses had also made
life unpalatable for Nigerians. Since there is no presence of government in the
lives of the citizenry as they have become their own governments and by
providing everything for themselves. Life has also become very knotty for them.
Therefore, in a bid for Nigerians to provide certain infrastructures and other
basic necessities of life for themselves, they are subjected to high cost of
living. The provision of infrastructures by ordinary Nigerians has turned the
country as one of the most expensive countries to live in across the world.
Nigerians are the sole provider of their own water as there
is no public supply of water by the three tiers of government that run the
country. The citizens provide their own water by sinking boreholes or digging
wells from where they get water. Poor Nigerians who live in rural areas and can
neither sink boreholes or dig wells resort to fetching water from filthy stream
and rivers. This in most cases exposes them to water born diseases which
further causes them more distress.
Electricity which is the backbone of industrialization is
erratic in Nigeria. So, every Nigerian provides their electricity through the
purchase and maintenance of varied power generating sets; depending on the
financial status of the individual Nigerians concerned. And it is costly to
power generators as the prices of petroleum products are on the high side. The
power generating sets are powered either by diesel or premium motor spirit
(petrol). The prices of these two products are extortionate since the local
refineries are not functioning hence the frequent importation of refined
petroleum products despite the fact that Nigeria is the sixth largest oil
producing nation in the world. Thus, with fuel scarcity being witnessed
frequently in the country, a litre of petrol goes for as much as N150 in the
Lagos metropolis why in other parts of the country, it goes for as much as
between N250 to N300! This is because Nigerians depend solely on petrol to
power their generators, cars, motorcycles and machines in their cottage
industries. Large industries use diesel to power their machines which is not
cheap too.
Education which is the best legacy parents bequeath to their
children is gradually becoming an exclusive preserve for the children of the
rich. In the last 32 years, most parents in Nigeria have been relegated to the
lower class of the society and cannot afford the high school fees being charged
by private school proprietors. Education is even more costly at the primary and
secondary levels which are the foundations of education. This is as a result of
governments not building new schools across board. Therefore, these two levels
in the education sector which are the bases of education are left in the hands
of shylock proprietors who subject parents to provocative demands. Aside the
high school fees they charge, they subject parents to all manner of charges
such as varied school uniforms, sport wears, end of year parties, excursions,
graduation gowns etc. All these abnormalities were introduced by private school
proprietors just to make abnormal incomes at the expense of parents. In these
obnoxious practices, a pupil that is promoted from a nursery class to primary
one is compelled to buy a graduation gown at exorbitant price! How can a sane
person say a child that is promoted from a nursery class to primary one is
graduating and should buy a graduation gown? But parents have no options than
to comply with such inordinate demands since public schools are in short
supply. But do the few available public schools encourage such immoderate
practices?
It is noteworthy that education at the primary and secondary school
levels are the foundations of education and should never be toyed with under
any circumstances. Once a child misses education at these two levels, they will
find it practically impossible to get education when they grow to adulthood.
But many children are already losing out at these two levels of education because
their parents cannot afford the cutthroat fees being charged by private school
proprietors! So, in order to pay the high school fees of their children and
wards, many parents are involved in corrupt practices; if education is free the
reverse would be the case.
Another factor that encourages corruption in Nigeria is
outrageous rentals. The non-availability of low cost houses for the masses in
major cities in Nigeria has prompted landlords to adjust their rents up
astronomically. Since human beings must live in homes, Nigerians are compelled
to pay rents through their noses. One can imagine the relief Nigerians will
enjoy if governments have low cost houses across the country where citizens pay
very little rents as it is obtainable in other climes. This also promote
corruption.
Likewise, Nigerians provide their own security since the
government has also failed in the provision of security to protect the lives
and property of the citizenry. Thus, Nigerians engage the services of private
security guards to protect them from criminals. This also depletes their
finances largely hence many take to corrupt practices in order to meet up with the
huge bills that confront them daily!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Dear readers, please leave your comments. We appreciate them.