An onlooker once observed that the load on the head of the man in front of him was tilted towards a side. His focus was so much on the load that he failed to notice the obvious shortness of one of the legs of the man, bearing the load on his head. This relatively has become how convenient our perspective can accommodate the issues that are plaguing Nigeria as a country.A child was asked the name of his father, and he answered 'Daddy' It apparently does not connote that the child is wrong, but 'Daddy' for a name, is as anonymous as saying 'A man is the father of that child'Albert Einstein (1879-1955) the German-born American physicist was famous for removing the obstacle to our outlook which were involved in the primitive notions of absolute space and time ''he gave us a world picture with a unity and harmony surpassing the boldest dreams of the past'. He left the world with the thinking that every force in nature is a part of one master force which other physicists have been aiming to support with empirical theory called 'The theory of everything'Understanding the enormity of the task before the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) should impugn any patriotic mind with the quest for a better performance, and underscores the urgency of a country with intent to attaining enviable height by the year 2020. But such desires notwithstanding, can never be achieved outside the cosmic and bigger picture called Nigeria.Let me highlight the point I am hoping to make. Quite frankly, there is a consensus that corruption is the most virulent factor impeding Nigeria's growth. And sadly, the various governments and non-governmental agencies have provided the platforms that have institutionalised corrupt activities as normal ethical practices.For instance, a File could be lying, unattended to from between two to six months by different government officials of a particular Ministry (even if it is on a subject that is intended to solve a critical problem) you might learn that it is normal to personally keep track of such a File and do what it would take to make the File progress unhindered. When eventually the File gets to the Governor for assent, the dates on the File cover may not reveal that a three months interval was spent on waiting for a clerk, who would transfer the File from one government official to another to return from her maternity leave. The File may also not reveal that is has to imply the intervention of lots of contacts; sisters, brother-in-laws, church members partly making the list of contacts. Moreover, the Governor may just be happy to realize that the Ministry has done a 'thorough' job irrespective of the dates of action that reveal somebody's gross dereliction of duties. And under the evil of institutional anonymity, as in the case of such a Ministry, the business of governance survives. Therefore, it is not surprising to find that most elected government officials realise only too late that their achievements have fallen short of their intentions, because of lack of time.And now you may ask 'How all of these relate to the issue of whether EFCC and ICPC should be merged or not' for greater efficiency'' As I mentioned earlier, while highlighting Albert Einstein's belief that every force in nature is a part of one master force; life is founded on the unity and harmony of everything. In my observation of the other countries with relatively low corruption index, I discovered that the fight against corruption has been sustained by a morally strong-willed people and the expediency of an efficient police system.In all of it, there has not been a reason to create an extra-governmental agency to fight corruption. Understanding, the Nigeria Police Service Act, fighting corruption is expressly stated as one of the cardinal objectives of its creation. If within the contraption of our search for a convenient way out, we have buckled or bend over backward to accept that the Nigeria Police Service has failed in its bid to fight corruption, should we then expect the Nigerians, who would be responsible for the operations of EFCC or ICPC to come from the moon' Where have we had the headship of these two Institutions coming from' Are they not from the same corrupt Police Service and the Judiciary that is begging for an overhaul' Whom would the personnel of these Institutions require authority for prosecution from' Is it not a Nigerian; a federal Attorney General and Minister of Justice, who could be appointed by a President that may not been justified by a free a fair election'Therefore, I make the above assertions in illuminating the problem of Nigeria as suffused in Institutional Anonymity. A country, where a person having spent several years in the service of an organisation retires without a record that reveals his personal achievements in the landmark contributions to such an organisation, but feels highly fulfilled and goes ahead to puts up a lavish party in commemorating a working experience that saw to the attainment of his retirement year without blemish, or at least not the one that led to a sack, is certaintly not good enough.Not until we have reached the level of frankness devoid of cynicism and hypocrisy; a time we can say it is not Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) that has failed but one Engineer XYZ, who was the head of the company for a specified time, we would remain a long way from hitting home run on corruption. So it should be rightly stated that a ministry that fails to provide its deliverables is captured as the failure of the Minister. In the same vain, if EFCC it not performing optimally, it should be so stated as the failure of Mrs Farida Waziri, instead of hiding in the shelter of Institutional Anonymity. A child should properly refer to his father as Mr. XYZ instead 'Daddy' for easy identification of the exact man, who is the father of the ill-behaved child.Ogbeide -Ihama can be reached via mustardaffairs@yahoo.com
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