’Dear Government…I’m going to have a serious talk with you if I ever find anyone to talk to.’’ – Stieg Larson

What Is Corruption?

For the sake of clearing any iota of ambiguity and to disabuse the minds of proponents of the retired debate in Nigeria who contend that stealing is NOT corruption, a definition of corruption suffices. Transparency International (TI), the global anti-corruption watchdog succinctly defines corruption as ‘’the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It goes further to say that corruption can be classified as grand, petty and political, depending on the amounts of money lost and the sector where it occurs’’. Etymologically, www.vocabulary.com holds that corruption originated from a Latin word – com, or ‘’with, together’’, and rumpere, meaning to break. In other words, corruption is an action, outcome that breaks trustworthiness, good reputation. It further says that corruption encompasses a wide range of actions and inactions such as (1) Lack of integrity (especially susceptibility to bribery); (2) moral pervasion (the quality of not been in accord with standards of right or good conduct, (3) use of a position of trust for dishonest gain, (4) inducement of a public official to violate duty and (5) the process of decay; putrefaction.

THE NATIONAL BLUEPRINT FOR A BROAD-BASED DISSECTION OF AND STRATEGIES TO COMBAT CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA

BY JOHN ODEY ADUMA, PUBLISHER AND BRITISH CHEVENING SCHOLAR, UNITED KINGDOM

General Snail whose political barracks is now in disarray with rebellious troopers trying to oustsmart one another has given himself the very impossible task of ridding Nigeria of corruption in a manner of a fool who does not only build his house on sand, but with straws instead of building it on the rock using bricks. What is more, the now General Ajala/the troubadour - the globe-trotter and the world's legendary ideas shopper and hunter, perhaps, needs to be reminded he's living in a glass house!