₦airaland Forum

Integrity: Is It Becoming a Scarce Commodity?

I recently started working with a business owner. I won't mention the name of the business or even the industry, but one conversation with him has stayed on my mind.

He told me something that honestly shocked me.

He said he's currently on his eighth set of employees.

Yes, the eighth.

Why?

Because, according to him, every previous team eventually became involved in stealing from the business.

I'm not talking about one department.

From the security guard to the cleaner, the receptionist, the cashiers, and even the manager—they all allegedly found ways to siphon money or manipulate the system.

At one point, when the business was still handling large amounts of cash, they introduced additional controls. They even involved police officers to escort money from the office to the bank.

Yet somehow, money still disappeared.

The owner kept tightening controls.

The fraud simply became more sophisticated.

What shocked me the most was when he told me that two of his former managers were making almost **three times their official salaries** through fraudulent means.

Today, he's seriously considering shutting down the business.

Not because customers are lacking.

Not because the business isn't profitable.

But because he no longer knows who to trust.

That conversation left me asking myself a difficult question.

Do we have an integrity problem?

Every week we read headlines:

* Someone arrested for financial fraud.
* Someone caught trafficking drugs.
* A Nigerian convicted abroad for defrauding a government programme.
* Internet fraud making international news.

Then we complain that politicians are corrupt.

But where do politicians come from?

They don't fall from the sky.

They are products of the same society.

If someone is willing to steal ₦50,000 from their employer today, what guarantees they won't steal ₦50 billion if they become a public office holder tomorrow?

This isn't to say Nigerians are dishonest.

Far from it.

I've met incredibly honest Nigerians—people who would rather lose money than compromise their integrity.

The problem is that integrity often feels undervalued, while shortcuts appear to be rewarded.

And that's dangerous for any society.

A nation cannot develop when employers spend more time thinking about how to stop employees from stealing than how to grow their businesses.

Technology can reduce fraud.

Policies can help.

CCTV cameras can monitor.

Audits can detect.

But no system can replace character.

At the end of the day, integrity is what you do when no one is watching.

Maybe the question we should all ask ourselves isn't "Why is Nigeria the way it is?"

Maybe it's: "If every Nigerian behaved exactly like me, what kind of country would Nigeria become?

People see fraud as normal and part of life In Nigeria even if you try to stop or advise them they see you as fool or traitor

When sapa has reshaped people's mindset and way of thinking what do you expect?

hmmmmmmm is that the way it should be?

Adeoye11:
When sapa has reshaped people's mindset and way of thinking what do you expect?

lavylilly:
hmmmmmmm is that the way it should be?

No NO NO may God help us in this situation we put ourselves