Corruption is a universal phenomenon. Across centuries, people have been known to want to take an extra beyond what is due to them by honest means. Religion has not been able to tame it, and may not just be able. Perhaps, thats why the new generation of mankind is devising modern means of combating it. A 2009 report by Delloitte showed that 25 per cent of a given population will always be corrupt, strive to cheat and lie all the time while another 25 per cent will be honest. The rest 50 per cent can either be honest or corrupt, depending on what influences them! This is a critical mass. What it means is that there is a possibility that 75 per cent of the society could be corrupt or significantly tend towards corrupt practices all the time. This is scary and hair-raising. It is strengthened by a PriceWaterCoopers integrity survey that showed that in 89 per cent of all corruption cases, internal persons or insiders were involved. That is to say there would be no corrupt practice in any business transaction that did not involve a critical insider. Reports from most regions of the world, including Nigeria, attest to the possibility of this reality. For instance, it is difficult to hold any conversation on corruption in any part of the world without making case stories with Nigeria! Also, in an anti-corruption conference in Johannesburg recently, participants said a representative of a South African giant and global construction player had to pay 10 per cent of its gross income in line with South African anti-corruption laws. This is a huge success story as this level of enforcement does not come easy, except in a committed environment.Every country also has its own challenges. However, some countries are far more serious in tackling their corruption cases than others. South Africa, for instance, has a constitution that is revolutionary in addressing corruption. This is to say that it is a constitutional concern, with its Schedule 39 providing a lot of structures meant to checkmate corrupt tendencies of actors in public or business spaces. The test of the law is found in the case where flouting the competition law means a company convicted will pay 10 per cent of its group gross turnover for each offence convicted. This is a serious disposition to fighting corruption. But Nigeria does not even have a competition law yet.The new UK Bribery legislation is not only encompassing in its content, it is also global in its reach. That is to say, that if you are by any means connected to anyone or issues linked down the line to the UK economy, you are webbed in. The Siemens experience also showed that the practice may not necessarily be carried out in the United States before being investigated, tried, convicted and heavily fined in a US court. The repatriation of James Ibori from Dubai to the United Kingdom for money laundering case could also be seen as a test of global resolve to check corruption.The coalition on anti-corruption struggle in South Africa has taken the spirit of the earlier fight against apartheid. For instance, the Banking Association of South Africa keeps a register of dismissed employees of banks for the purposes of sanction. Any one dismissed from any bank on a dishonesty offence and after a due process of disciplinary investigation is listed in the register and would not be able to get any job in the industry until after a 10-year probation. This is also being recommended for the rest of economic and governance sectors in the country.Besides, other professionals such as medical device suppliers have considered that corruption is not just about money, but also the pandering and supply of other things that can influence judgment in a transaction. For instance, the body has pursued the code for medical sector professionals prevented from falling for some sub-ethical inducements such as end-of-year parties, dinners, novelty games (golf), honoraria, free accommodation for invited functions, inappropriate venues for events, box of chocolates and in the case of Nigeria, hampers and other end-of-year corporate gifts. Why this harsh decision' It is because it is considered that the cost for these seeming free gifts will be obviously ploughed into cost of operations and reflected in the cost of products and prices that users or consumers pay. People are thinking deep, you will agree. South African coalition against corruption is even considering present efforts at fighting corruption as paltry, because the constitutional provisions are not fully implemented. The next phase of action pursues a one agency mandate for anti-corruption issues, and which must be an independent agency, free from executive and other influences and interferences. It is considered that a plethora of agencies have resulted in efficiency. What is in this for Nigeria' With many institutions police, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, courts, Code of Conduct Bureau and others, Nigeria is still a key case for mention and discourses in international anti-corruption conversations. In each conference, you will find Siemens present and showing what they have done to regain image and receiving positive attestation from independents. Why then are Nigerias anti-corruption activities not receiving positive attestation' It could only mean that much is not being done.It is obvious that Nigerias corruption record stemmed from impunity and failure of leadership at all levels in both public and private sectors. Unfortunately, culprits of the practice have remained hard-finds in spite of heavy public spend and plethora of institutions. It has been a case of leadership-driven corruption, buoyed by business actors as fronts and conduits. Generally, pervasive corruption records could be seen in the light of the leadership impunity in a classical case of the fish rotten from its head, the thief stealing what was kept in its custody or of the dog eating the bone hung over its neck. Or, it could be of followers indulgence stemming from the classical case of 75 per cent of the population always tending to corruption' The difficulty in tackling the scourge could then be seen from the obvious complacency of the leadership (actors and beneficiaries) to fight the engrained habits. If the research gets into further dissection in this clime, it could be found that failure of such institutions as Nigerian Telecommunications, Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Nigerian Railways Corporation, Police, and Nigeria Postal Service could have been due to incremental presence of potentially dishonest people. Other national institutions like the military and the judiciary could be said to be going the self-destruct route before their rescue by democracy, as they continued to be mired in the volatile political intricacies which compromised their neutrality, independence and strength of character.Corruption may even be increasingly difficult to handle now when we consider that all structures of governance are laid with pampering, power and affluence that last long. So, the challenge will be who will turn the blind eye and deal with the pampered and compromised wayfarers in government corridors' This is the challenge of committed leadership. The pampering, unfortunately, has also produced people who leave public office only to resume the plundering when given opportunities in any other capacities.Something has to give. A political will is needed. President Goodluck Jonathan has been depositing his political capital on some very key areas of national governance and economy. If the economy will grow, if employment will grow, if human capital indicators (health, education) will become progressive, corruption must die. The value of life must be based on human values and not just money, and much money in private pockets. Constitutional review should include the provision for a single anti-corruption agency that is truly independent and protected in its structure and operations. The fight against corruption has moved from finger-pointing to cooperation and collective action, involving business and government to meet at the middle on a 50:50 basis.Azi, an economic research consultant with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Lagos, wrote in via innoazi@yahoo.com
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