Apart from this growing criminality, corruption eats this land so deeply. Corruption has been in existence for plethora of years now and still prevails. It has become the custom. Yes, it is the fashion that most people race to practice. The problem is you hardly find incorruptible leaders today. In fact, our so-called leaders preach corruption by practicing it constantly; by being caught guilty of misappropriation of public funds.
Things keep getting messy in this country. You’ll think that the situation here is a godforsaken one. It’s not easy to live in Nigeria. Considering the breakdown of laws and the persistent decay in the education, health sector and other sectors, a law-abiding citizen will think of giving up on this country. Life is worthless. It’s as cheap as common salt which we use for cooking. Criminals take life at will. They kidnap the poor and demand bulky amount as ransoms.
The poor has to sell all that he owns, which is barely adequate to the needs of the kidnappers. At the point of negotiation with the often unnegotiable kidnappers, he gets killed. Besides, they will collect the money and refuse to let go of the abductee. Unfortunately, they either maim or rape the victim and still demand more money from the poor who has sold all his belongings for the life of his child.
Apart from this growing criminality, corruption eats this land so deeply. Corruption has been in existence for plethora of years now and still prevails. It has become the custom. Yes, it is the fashion that most people race to practice. The problem is you hardly find incorruptible leaders today. In fact, our so-called leaders preach corruption by practicing it constantly; by being caught guilty of misappropriation of public funds.
It is not only the leaders. This cuts deep. The average person considers it sinless to be bribed in exchange for his franchise. This gullible average person doesn’t know that the meager boodle he illegitimately collects and stuffs into his pockets is what holds back the progress of this society. He’s exploitable and ignorant of his right as a citizen.That’s why he sees nothing wrong in being paid off by the people who supposed to protect and provide for him.
A couple of weeks ago, I went to the National Identity Management Commission headquarter in 11, Sokode, Crescent, Off Dalaba Street, Zone 5, Wuse, Abuja, to modify my National Identity card. As I aimed for the entrance, one of the security guards who were at the entrance stopped and asked me what I wanted to do. I told him that I was there to make some corrections on my National Identity card. Then, he referred me to the Federal Character Commission.
Unhappily, I took a U-turn and boarded a a taxi to the Federal Character Commission. Upon arrival I saw the place crowded with people. They were busy filling forms and doing other things. A guy who was obviously desperate for money, came to me asking what I would like to do. I told him exactly what brought me there. He offered to help but which I politely declined— considering his nature.
I decided to go upstairs myself. But I got stopped by security guards on the way. They also asked what I would like to do, and I told them the same. They asked if I was with the requirements: a newspaper publication for change of name, application letter for change of name, remitter for what you intend to modify, forms for the change of name, and supporting documents. Luckily, I had almost all the required documents.
But I didn’t pay the remitter, neither the application letter nor fill the forms for change of name. I was referred to a young man who was entrusted with those forms. He was so busy that he couldn’t even acknowledge my presence until I made some gestures that caught his attention. I demanded for the forms and he requested sum of two hundred naira in exchange. “Oh no! This is pure corruption,” I murmured to myself. I had no other choice than to comply and pay because all the people I met there did the same.
I paid and was given those two forms. At the back of each paper a bold inscription were written thus: ” Do not buy this. Call this number 0700……if you’re told to.” This is a rough quotation but that was what I read. This was no longer surprising when I saw people paying the same guy some money for him to write application letter for them. I wanted to call the phone number which was written at the back page of the forms, but I later gave up my decision because I feared that nothing will be done. For the ones collecting the bribes and those who wrote that warning are birds of a feather, I guess.
I thought the wonders had end until I followed the other guy to a nearby computer shop where I would pay the remitter. The computer operator, who happens to be a female gender, was unprofessional. I watched as she wrongly entered the information of a certain woman who was in her late sixties. When the woman saw that, she yelled at her harshly. To avoid this from happening to me, I demanded that my information be given to me so that I will enter them myself, which was what I did.
After that I went to another shop and photocopied all the documents. When I have all my documents ready, then I went upstairs for the name modification. Surprisingly, I found that the place was crowded too. I had to join the queue. While on the queue, two “big men” came in with their children. They didn’t join the queue. Instead, they were warmly received and accompanied to the room where the activities take place. Shortly after they had theirs done while we, the nobodies, continue to suffocate at the queue.
After spending an hour on the queue, I finally got in. When my documents were approved by a pregnant woman, I was directed to join another queue which I stayed for like 40 minutes or so. The annoying thing is during my stay there, they had power outage twice and the network was bad as many people were not registered for. The workers there weren’t just unprofessional but rudely corrupt. This experience makes me to doubt if a common citizen will be proud to call Nigeria a home. The corruption is however inevitable. Nigeria is not for the poor man whose sweats the country relies on for survival, but the unfeeling and corrupt elite who dine at the expense of the hopelessly poor man.
Usama Abdullahi
usamagayyi@gmail.com
