AN erudite scholar, Dr. Adamu Idama has said that the scale of corruption in Nigeria is frightening that an estimate has it that about $30 billion of stolen money from Nigeria is stashed in European and North American banks with an amount held in assets believed to be even higher.
He made the observation in a paper titled: ''Effective and Efficient Implications of Nigeria's Anti-Corruption Legislation: Assessment of the Just concluded Three-day Workshop on National Anti-corruption for Top Local Government Functionaries and Local Government Policy Makers in the North-East Sub-region, held at the Banquet Hall of Zaranda Hotel, Bauchi.
Dr. Adamu said that corruption has since become a way of life in Nigeria because it has been institutionalized and has been around for so long that its taproots have gone deep and the lateral roots are widespread to a long distance, saying that so pervasive is corruption that no segment of the Nigerian society can stand out to say, ''our hands are clean.''
According to him, a resource person said politicians, civil servants, traditional and community leaders, religious institutions, the media, private enterprises as well as non-governmental organizations are all involved in corruption, adding that corruption is responsible for the broken promises, the dashed hopes and the shallow dreams on the last few decades.
He explained further that for the past year, Nigerian media has been awashed with reports of shady deals in the executive and legislative corridors, with the reports attracting the usual concerns and criticisms from the civil society including religious organizations that have been vocal in the condemnation of the vice, stressing that little has come of the allegations and only few people have so far been prosecuted.
Referring to the findings of the Nigerian Corruption Index (NCI), a new survey conducted by Independent Advocacy Project (IAP), he stated that 58 per cent of respondents opined that corruption is Nigeria's major problem with the Nigeria Police ranking highest where bribe is usually demanded in the open followed by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and the Nigeria Customs Service, noting that in Nigeria of today, nepotism, extortion and bribery have become a way of life and not just with the politicians, except in their own case, they exhibit it more shamelessly.
He further said that it is no more news that corruption is endemic and the in-thing in Nigeria, “it is the way business is done, the acceptable weapon of sealing a deal, securing contract, facilitating business, ensuring you get whatever you are looking for,'' he noted.
Dr. Adamu maintained that there are plenty of Nigerian conscience on sale around the country for a suitable or Ghana-must-go full of cash with the exotic palaces, mansions and houses that glut the landscape in Lekki, Asokoro, Maitama, MKO Gardens, Victoria Garden City, Old Ikoyi, Garki, Gbagada, Sun City and other over built areas in Abuja, which are vivid evidence of stealing and corruption, suggesting that unless Nigerians unite and wage a more sincere and honest war against the cankerworm, there will not be lasting solution to the problem.




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