I asked a friend who is very passionate and optimistic about the future of Nigeria to write a post about anti-corruption. He sent this to my email.

I made the post a two-part series due to it's length.

Read, share, and feel free to comment on the post. I'd love to read what you think about it. Here we go:

A segment of the Nigerian population seems more piqued by corruption than the rest of us. It is safe to say that it is neither the ruling class nor the folks living on less than one dollar a day. Without sounding judgmental, these other 2 categories seem to benefit more from the systemic imbalance perpetuated by graft in the nation. In fact, the interplay between these two groups contributed in no mean way to the institutionalization of corruption in Nigeria.

The primal motivations of the ruling elites to steal are twofold. The first reason is the poverty of mind that made our leaders think they can steal enough state resources to rescue generations unborn in their lineage from material poverty (that is in itself tied to the myopic disease that always make Nigerians think their culture, lineage and predisposition are better than those of fellow citizens [be it Yoruba asserting they are better than Igbos or Muslims convinced they should be preferred over Christians or northern Kaduna people thinking a governor from the southern Kaduna is an insult on their collective intelligence or Igbos thinking Chinua Achebe is better than Wole Soyinka and Yorubas thinking otherwise; we all are suffering from that a collective mine-is-better malaise]).

Secondly, in a game of numbers (democracy included), the interests of the majority trump moral concerns. As long as the majority of people in Nigeria are living below poverty line and believe that the breadcrumbs (after all half a loaf is better than no bread) ‘graciously’ passed to them during elections are worth another four years of inept leadership, there will be a motivation to steal on the part of ruling class; more money equal more votes. Any anti-corruption strategy that does not successfully run a circle around these dual motivations is incomplete and does not address basic principles of human motivations.

Back to the other group that want corruption in high places to stop. I must confess I observed this distinct group by some pseudo ethnographic profiling of almost all my vocal anti-corruption friends (fellow compatriots some of which still doubt my commitment to the anti-corruption crusade). The group I am referring to is the incipient Nigerian middle class. By that I mean, employed or self-employed Nigerians (generally between age 22 – 49), who can confidently take care of his/her family. They are very active on social media (twitter and Facebook top the list). Most are graduates of Nigerian universities and polytechnics.

Not a few of them have masters or some higher degrees (preferable from a foreign University) and/or have spent some times outside Nigeria. Also, they have relatively developed religious or moral compass. They are neither poor nor mega rich; they have few strong connections to Nigeria main resource (that does not mean they are not working in oil companies, but that it is most unlikely that their parents own oil blocks). They spread all over the corners of the country (and around the world) and often vote their conscience in elections. I challenge you (in a friendly manner) to compare your vocal anti-corruption friend to this base template and point out the possible misfit. Essentially, it is this new cohort that is challenging the status quo.

Most Nigerian contemporary socioeconomic historians will agree that the Nigerian middle class collapsed during the military era. Specifically, the Babangida Administration economic programs and oppressive policies repressed the middle class and led to the massive exodus of what remained of that social stratum to greener pastures (i.e. our own brain drain). One credit, most Nigerians have not given this fourth republic, is the gradual (albeit slow) resuscitation of the middle class.

Click here to read the second part:

http://www.infonubia.com/2013/05/the-profile-of-average-nigerian-anti_25.html