As much as the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) will never honor this entity with a certificate and registration number, we all know it in our hearts that Corruption Nigeria Plc is a registered business entity in Nigeria with various fast selling products and services; but frankly speaking, has this thriving business ever needed a certificate to trade? Hell no!
Unlike Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) listed businesses like MTN Nigeria, Dangote cement and the rest, there isn’t any share price for this gloomy listing, however there is a "shared greed" with a broad based ownership that cuts across people of all strata of the Nigerian society. So in this piece I won’t dwell so much on the clandestine products and/or services, as that would be too bare-faced and maybe selectively malicious; the outcome of that may be missing the point all together. Rather than attack the symptoms I will focus on highlighting the core background fuel for the high demand of these corruption products and services.

1) We (Nigerians) as a people have lowered our standards: This is captured in the popular phrase "we go manage", for instance, staying on a terrible job, hopping on that bus with a dramatically inflated transport fare, not demanding our Rights, the list is endless. How badly are we allowing survival nerves to get the best from us without a commensurate reciept of value in exchange for our monies or effort we put in? That’s the beginning of the corruption cycle because holding unto terrible standards leads to accomodating corrupt practices and celebrating mediocrity.

2) We have Money circulating without enterprise: Permit me to burrow a line from the Vice Presidential candidate of Labour party in Nigeria’s 2023 elections. When there is money circulation without proper business transactions there is an inevitable robbery of productivity, scarce innovation, loss of jobs and lack of the need to reinvest funds to create another wealth-creation cycle. As a matter of fact, going through the normal hoops of business growth becomes very unappealing as there is an easier and express option of earning without enterprise through corruption. This is the prime drive for nepotism and lack of merit in our society.

3) The “Money Culture” is killing our Core Cultural values: Could this be directly linked with the Nigerian government’s resolution post independence to directly fund traditional institutions? Either way one thing is for sure, if the key custodians of our traditional values depend largely on government funding, how will they hold government accountable? It’s a delicate balance that must be addressed for money culture to be curbed.

4) Unlike China, consequences of corruption in Nigeria are murky: It’s a simple case of cause and effect, when there aren’t clear consequences, abuse is inevitable. The lapses of the Judicial and Correctional systems in Nigeria create a loophole that anyone with the money and right connections will happily exploit. So we are where we are not for lack of policies or legal framework; the problem lies in implementing and following through set laws without fear or favor when the chips are down.

5) Naira is on the loose: The downward slide of the Naira is a reflection of the value Nigerians place on Nigeria. The "me first" culture makes it even worse and we all have our share of the blame. The only sustainable route to strengthen the Naira is to be less import dependency and ensuring export trade balancing at a macroeconomic level. This can only begin to happen when we have a good dose of patriotism in our dealings because as long as the Naira keeps sliding against the dollar, there is more room for corruption.

6) Delayed gratification is a myth: Why wait when you can get it all now? A society without delayed gratification places the burden of high expectations on people. Making legitimate money takes time, patience, planning and the hassles, as not everyone is born with a silver spoon or has that privilege of living a "soft life" very early in life. When we have a society with tailored expectations that are oddly skewed to an alternate reality(of making money very quickly), we close our minds to the true realities and excuse corruption even when in our faces.

7) Faith without work seems viable: I will take a final swipe at the critical role religious institutions play. Today we have religious institutions that are seemingly more powerful than traditional institutions and even some arms of government, so what is preached goes a long way today. Beyond what is preached, how religious leaders make and spend money matters. This has been a big issue and leaders must take responsibility and lead well by examples for us to reverse the unfortunate situation we find ourselves.

To conclude, I’d like to note that even an angel that has lived long enough in Nigeria is most likely guilty of aiding or engaging in one corrupt practice or the other, so how much more we mere mortals? After all said, how do we move from here? Firstly, especially going into the election period, if we must de-market corruption products and services, we all need to do a deliberate soul search and evaluate the long-term effects of our seemingly "little" actions. The first step however is getting it right with leadership and following through with honour one transaction, one day at a time. Its that simple right?

https://link.medium.com/1KgJmZ0odvb

Immune1:
. When there is money circulation without proper business transactions there is an inevitable robbery of productivity, scarce innovation, loss of jobs and lack of the need to reinvest funds to create another wealth-creation cycle. As a matter of fact, going through the normal hoops of business growth becomes very unappealing as there is an easier and express option of earning without enterprise through corruption. This is the prime drive for nepotism and lack of merit in our society.

#Very Critical

After voting old and weak people into positions of authority, we still expect things to be going the way we expect?