“Does it ever worry us that history which neither personal wealth nor power can pre-empt will pass terrible judgement on us; pronounce anathema on our names when we have passed? We have lost the twentieth century; are we bent on seeing that our children also lose the twenty-first?”
Those are the words of Prof. Chinua Achebe, the late literary icon and author of the world-famous ‘THINGS FALL APART’ that accurately mirrors the decline in standards and morals which have befallen African societies. As Prof. Achebe rightly said, history is not on our side any longer because everything has fallen apart and it is essential for Africa to set her house in order, and be rid of the menace called corruption, which smothers her growth and development.
AN INSIGHT INTO CORRUPTION: Corruption generally refers to the act of being fraudulent or dishonest, often involving the act of bribery. According to the Merriam Webster’s dictionary, corruption refers to an impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle. The global anti-corruption body, Transparency International (TI), through its corruption perception index (CPI) defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, in public and private sectors. While the first two definitions of corruption are acceptable, TI’s description of corruption appears broad and embraces the aspect of governance. Corruption is universal and cuts across every sector of the global society. All societies of the world, developed and underdeveloped alike, are plagued with stories of widespread mismanagement, racketeering, tax evasion, bribery, extortion and other vices. Phillippa Lewis in an article he wrote for the Think Africa Press opines that: “corruption is by no means a uniquely African phenomenon. In fact, taking a closer look at corruption and expanding our understanding to beyond just bribes and kickbacks enables us to see that corruption exists across the world and that even in ‘African’ corruption, developed countries are deeply implicated.” Transparency International’s corruption perception index shows that 70 per cent of all countries scored less than the 50 out of 100, with a global average of 43. Hence, corruption is not a problem typical of African societies only, but a nuisance that still troubles most of the world. Examples of this abound, and are well documented.
However, despite the prevalence of corruption in various regions around the world, some have been more proactive than others in the fight against it. Sadly though, the battle against corruption in Africa has been no more than a ‘fistfight’ whereas other regions have employed their whole ammunition in fighting the scourge. The situation in Africa is sickening. Corruption in Africa is a cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabric of the society, beginning from those who parade themselves as leaders, who in reality act like rulers, to the citizens themselves who engage in various forms of bribery, nepotism, impropriety and so on; perhaps worse the rulers themselves do. The Transparency International’s 2010 corruption perception index released in October 2010 identified Africa as the most corrupt region in the world. Its 2012 CPI also ranked 90 per cent of African countries as scoring below 50 (on a scale of 0-100, 0 being ‘highly corrupt’ and 100 representing lack of corruption); Somalia was deemed to be the worst offending African country with a score of just 8, along with Afghanistan and North Korea. Experts refer to corruption in Africa as systemic. Corruption is dominant across all sectors of society, be it religious, social, economic or political, and involves all social classes. It is reflected in the policeman who demands bribes (even from criminals), the professor who falsifies students’ results, the religious leader who cannot keep his eye off the treasury, the parent who purchases certificate for his or her child, the politician who has public funds stashed away in faraway Switzerland and so on.
WHY IS CORRUPTION SO WIDESPREAD IN AFRICA?
The prevalence of corruption in Africa has led both Africans and foreigners to ask questions that need an answer: Why is corruption so widespread in Africa and amongst Africans?
Walter Rodney in his thought provoking book “HOW EUROPE UNDERDEVELOPED AFRICA” offered unique insight in solving this puzzle. He suggested that most of the corrupt practices exhibited by African leaders are encouraged by the West; often times through their corporations who offer African leaders inducements to acquire the rights to exploit the resources available in their countries at bizarrely low prices to the detriment of Africans. Other experts have however disagreed with Rodney’s suggestions. Many have suggested (while not totally absolving foreign corporations of their role in encouraging corruption through kickbacks) that the real cause of corruption is lack of patriotism. Their reasoning is that leaders like the great Nelson Mandela who show a deep love and respect for their country would find it hard to sell out their country. Furthermore, it has been pointed out that decades of wars, ethnic unrest, famine and destruction have left many Africans poor and economically incapacitated (estimates suggest that 80 per cent of Africans live on less than $2 per day) which has left them with no other option than to engage in corrupt practices. In other words, the deep-rooted cause of corruption is poverty. Many economists have suggested that reduction in poverty could lead to reduction in levels of corruption.
The negative impact of corruption in Africa is overwhelmingly devastating. Apart from the pervasiveness of absolute poverty in the region, the negative effect of corruption on the social, political, psychological, and economic aspect of Africa is represented by poor infrastructure, capital and intellectual flight, high unemployment rates, low levels of literacy, high crime rates, lack of or insufficient power and low levels of productivity. Not precluding high infant and maternal mortality rates (D.R Congo ranks as the worst country to be a mother in, according to ‘Save the Children’), poor health facilities and reduced rates of life expectancy, near or complete erosion of the value system, missed opportunities for advancement and many more. According to a study carried out by the African Union a few years ago, corruption was estimated to cost the continent roughly 150 billion dollars per year. Former Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Anan, while speaking recently on the BBC’s Newsday programme echoed the crushing impact corruption has on Africa and Africans through loss in government revenue. In his words: “We are not getting the revenues we deserve often because of either corrupt practices, transfer pricing, tax evasion and all sort of activities that deprive us of our due.” He further explains, “Africa loses twice as much money through these loopholes as it gets from donors.” Summing up the impact of corruption on Africa, he states, “…it affects the life of women and children- in effect in some situations it is like taking food off the table for the poor.” Since Africa finds herself in this regretful situation, can anything be done to remedy it?
FIGHTING CORRUPTION: In the fight against corruption in Africa, not all hope is lost as long as we exhibit the needed courage and enthusiasm to fight it. For Africa to overcome the menace of corruption, Africans need to act! There is a need for us to be more proactive than reactive in our efforts. This fight against corruption in Africa is not new. Over time, African leaders have often pledged to annihilate the scourge of corruption but have often lacked the will and courage to follow through with their promises. Corruption in Africa can be annihilated completely in many ways. Most of these processes are ‘tried and tested’ and have been employed by developed nations in their own fights. They range from preventive methods like standardised financial reporting, to reactive approaches ranging from jail terms to awarding punitive damages. Perhaps, the first step towards eliminating the threats of corruption in Africa is the implementation of the ‘United Nations Convention Against Corruption’ (UNCAC) which was ratified in 2005 by 145 countries and takes a holistic approach to corruption fighting under four main pillars: prevention, criminalisation, asset recovery and international cooperation.
Furthermore, the growth in popularity of the internet together with the development of mobile platforms has opened up opportunities for African countries to exploit jointly in the fight against corruption. Corrupt financial practices can be minimised or totally prevented with the restructuring and re-standardisation of the financial system in place, particularly those concerned with financial reporting, monitoring and evaluation. According to Laurence Cockcroft, a former chair of TI, “the size of the unrecorded economy which means African countries’ unrecorded transactions, amounts to at least 40 per cent of GDP, constituting a vast reservoir from which corrupt payments can be made without trace.” In Congo, much of the output or transactions involving the purchase or sale of its diamonds are largely unrecorded. In Nigeria, oil theft enriches both the local and national players often with strong ties to the government and involves the sale of thousands of barrels per day to enrich themselves while billions of dollars, largely unreported, are lost annually. The case is no different in Tanzania where the price at which its booming mineral exports, notably gold, platinum and uranium, enter the world market is controversial and secretive. However, there seems to be a glimmer of hope as the introduction of superb initiatives such as the ‘Extractive Industries Initiative’, (which commits both companies and governments to reporting the revenue they respectively earn and receive from the exploitation of mineral resources), and the ‘International Financial Reporting Standards’ (which seeks to unify the method used by companies throughout the world in the computation of their financial accounts so that company accounts are comparable across countries) appear to be useful tools in combating illegal transfers and money laundering. Equally important is the introduction of policies and legislation to clamp down on tax evasion. Governments lose billions of dollars through tax malversation at the hands of corporations that refuse to pay tax or pay it below the required rate. A recent ‘Africa Progress Report’ which was produced by a panel of dignitaries including the ex-president of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and headed by the ex-UN chief, Mr Kofi Annan, expressed concerns that “firms that shift profits to lower tax jurisdictions cost Africa 38 billion dollars a year.”
Another important tool to eliminate corruption is public accountability. Allowing public oversight and giving citizens the power to hold elected officials accountable is believed that corruption will be minimally reduced. Public accountability can be encouraged by passing the ‘Freedom of Information Act’, which gives citizens the right to be privy to otherwise, undisclosed information, and allows them to have special knowledge of how their government is being run when they need to. To further discourage impropriety in governance, the ‘immunity clause’, which protects public officers from prosecution, should be removed. Since the tenets of the rule of law and democracy proclaim equality before the law, it is absurd for anyone to be outside the reaching grasp of the law. Many African leaders have hidden under the covers of immunity from prosecution to perform lots of atrocities and improprieties. For Africa to overcome the scourge of corruption, all these need to change.
In addition, in the fight against corruption, there is need for proper restructuring and strengthening of existing anti-corruption bodies. The efforts of existing anti-corruption bodies in fighting corruption cannot be over-emphasized. Under Nuhu Ribadu (in 2008), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Nigeria’s anti-corruption body, recovered about 5 billion dollars in stolen public funds and secured 250 convictions. Sadly though, despite best efforts of anti-corruption bodies, the spate of corrupt activities remains highly palpable. A recent report by respected Nigerian daily newspaper, Business Day, indicates that the perception of corruption in many African countries has increased over time despite government efforts, such as those of Mozambique and Angola, introducing extensive anti-corruption legislation. Angola ranked 157th out of 176 countries while Mozambique ranked 123rd and Nigeria 139th in the TI corruption perception index. Thus, for anti-corruption bodies to be able to fight corruption there is a need for them to be better equipped in the areas of financial intelligence. In addition, the remuneration of anti-corruption officials needs to be competitive to prevent them from seeking alternative sources of income in the course of their duty. Equally important is the fact that anti-corruption bodies need to be independent and completely insulated from any form of influence or intimidation from any arm of government. Anti-corruption bodies should be granted special powers to prosecute any individual irrespective of his social or political standing. When an anti-corruption body is dependent on the government — particularly the executive arm — the travails of former Nigerian anti-corruption tsar Nuhu Ribadu at the hand of the government at the time, readily comes to mind.
Furthermore, towards encouraging good governance, it is important to promote the tenet of democracy, which gives citizens the right to elect their leaders. Consequently, corruption can be overcome in Africa with free, fair and transparent elections, which in turn produce legitimate leaders who will act in the best interest of the majority and who are aware that any form of impropriety will prevent their re-election to office. For this to become a reality however, it remains the job of every stakeholder, citizens and public officials, to ensure that the vote of everyone counts and that no amount of inducements can buy their votes. More so, a virile and responsible legislature along with an honest judiciary ensures that the right elements of checks and balances are in place to curb the excesses of each arm of government.
In addition to this, corruption can be reduced by ensuring income equality. The high rate of income disparity in Africa is a root cause of corruption among the populace, majority of who live on less than two dollars per day. The disappearance of income inequality coupled with the emergence of an economic middle class would very surely reduce the level of corruption while increasing the level of accountability. In achieving income parity, sizeable investment should be made in the technology and education sectors to improve access, quality and affordability of education. More so, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship should be encouraged for employment generation.
Perhaps crucial to the fight against corruption is the need for international cooperation. Countries of Europe and America need to lend a hand in the fight against corruption by collaborating with local anti-corruption agencies in bringing money launderers to book. A critical and controversial topic in the relations of the developed economies with Africa is centred on aid and donations, which many believe is enough leverage to be used by the West in helping Africa to fight corruption. However, this does not seem to be the case as studies have found that whilst the governments of developed economies suggest that aid is conditional on the pursuit of anti-corruption measures, they often turn a blind eye to how the aid is disbursed and still continue to provide financial support even while there are shouts of widespread mismanagement in the country. Over time, the mismanagement of these funds has left African countries with ‘service debts’. For example, in Egypt 22 million dollars will be spent this year servicing debt accrued by the past military regime of Hosni Mubarak for military purchases. Countries like Gabon, Lesotho and Nigeria also reportedly owe more than 50 per cent of their national debt to export credit or aid agencies like the British Export Credit Guarantee Scheme (ECGS).
[1] While aid is not meant to induce corruption, developed economies must help African states fight corruption by demanding proper accountability for aid provided and tie its provision to the achievement of certain goals or milestones in their efforts to reduce corruption. This would prevent some leaders from using aid and loans as a front for corrupt activities considering the level of monitoring and accountability that would accompany them.
CONCLUSION: Finally, corruption is a menace that has eaten deep into the fabric of the society and even though the solutions provided above would go a long way in reducing the level of corruption drastically, it cannot however eliminate it. To eradicate corruption, there is a need for the rejuvenation of our value system. Values of hard work, honesty, contentment, diligence, persistence and other morals have eroded or become extinct. The urgent need for a reorientation of our values is summed up in the words of Joao Martins, the Managing Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers Mozambique, at the 16
th Africa Tax and Business symposium, who while lamenting the prevalence of corruption in the form of red tape and agents or intermediaries, remarked that “it will take a whole generation to correct the structure that has been created”. To sum up the views of Africans on the need for a total overhaul of our value system, consider the remark of a youth from Accra, Ghana, in response to a recent ‘BBC Africa’ debate on ‘fighting corruption in Africa’, in her words: “we cannot fight corruption when everyone sees it as a normal thing”. Thus, it is essential for Africa to take its battle against corruption to the coming generation and ensure that they do not follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before them by teaching them our values and the importance of hard work; as it is often said in the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria that “the pruning of an Iroko tree (a giant tree) is done at the nursery stage.” Hence, the need to commence the grooming of our young ones by making sure true values and morals are enshrined in them for a better Africa.
One of the unique concept of the modern and ancient society is LANGUAGE. In every county, In every continent and in the world, the uniqueness of a people in development, growth and societal sustainability has hinged mostly on the understand of the interest of all by everyone in the society. From Japan to German; From Korea to France and From Malaysia to Singapore; the localization of industrialization has been embedded in the language or languages of the people. African's key problem and loss is that we have continually forced the foreign languages on our livelihood and developmental process, when it is evident that it has not worked, it will not work and it is capable of perpetually enslaving our people.
The Foundation of this Nation was not laid on Oil. Let it be clear to all who care to listen, the Future of the Nigerian People will not and NEVER be sustained by Oil. The Founding Fathers of the Nigerian State understood the Importance of Palm Oil in the South; The Vitality of Cocoa in the West and the Sustainability of Groundnut and Cotton in the North and all these stem from Agriculture. Today, we are suffering because the generation of the 1970s after the Civil War till date deviated from that path of Solid Foundation initiated by the founding fathers and in the Process messed-up this country generationally.
Every one of the Niger Delta Avengers is a Fraud just Like
Tompolo and Asari Dakubo were and still are. Please, can anyone show the
positive impact and results of the Militancy in the 1990s and the 2000s on the
lives of the people of the Niger Delta, if not for the enrichment of a the
fraudulent few? The Dreams and Visions of Isaac Adaka Boro and Ken Saro Wiwa
are being betrayed by the functionally mis-educated criminals and Vandals
parading themselves as Militants in the region. I am forced to repeat myself
here; for 6 years under GEJ, these Criminals were lords, kings and untouchables
in the Niger Delta and in Nigeria. Fed fat on our collective commonwealth and
completely ignored the developmental needs of the Niger Delta people. The
enemies of my people are in the Niger Delta. Our Politicians, Traditional
Rulers, Businesses and Community Elders have no interest in the growth and
development of the Region. How do you begin to explain the Tens of Trillions of
Naira allocated in various forms to the region - 13% Derivation; FAAC
Allocation; NDDC; Niger Delta Ministry and Oil Company Host Community Funds to
say the least?
It is 130 years since the death of Karl Marx. But why should
we commemorate a man who died in 1883? In the early 1960s the then Labour Prime
Minister Harold Wilson declared that we must not look for solutions in Highgate
cemetery. And who can disagree with that? In the aforementioned cemetery one
can only find old bones and dust and a rather ugly stone monument. However, when we speak of the relevance of Karl Marx today
we refer not to cemeteries but to ideas—ideas that have withstood the test of
time and have now emerged triumphant, as even some of the enemies of Marxism
have been reluctantly forced to accept. The economic collapse of 2008 showed
who was outdated, and it was certainly not Karl Marx. For decades the economists never tired of repeating that
Marx’s predictions of an economic downturn were totally outdated. They were
supposed to be ideas of the 19th century, and those who defended them were
dismissed as hopeless dogmatists. But it now turns out that it is the ideas of
the defenders of capitalism that must be consigned to the rubbish bin of
history, while Marx has been completely vindicated. Not so long ago, Gordon Brown confidently proclaimed “the
end of boom and bust”. After the crash of 2008 he was forced to eat his words.
The crisis of the euro shows that the bourgeoisie has no idea how to solve the
problems of Greece, Spain and Italy which in turn threaten the future of the
European common currency and even the EU itself. This can easily be the
catalyst for a new collapse on a world scale, which will be even deeper than
the crisis of 2008.
My heart is heavy, my spirit is weak, my mind is empty and hands are shaking; confused, vexed, angry and feeling like a walking bomb killing every single local government chairman, every governor, every minister, every pastor, every imam and anyone who contributed to the monumental mental slavery of the Nigerian people. The destruction of the moral & structural fabric of the Nigerian state is enough wickedness to last generations; I am perpetually vexed; particularly with what our people have become. Our gullibility, our docility, our shallowness, our functional and educational illiteracy, our mental corruption, our developmental weakness and our leadership emptiness is killing me softly; it is draining me mentally, it is hurting me greatly and the revolutionary anger is so intense, that sometimes I feel like a walking time-bomb.
PART 1: Stop! Before reading this Article, please take the following
quiz.
The idea of capitalism as an expression of economic freedom
that also secures moral and political freedom of thought, or the
notion that "free-market" economies are guided by an impartial
mechanism of supply and demand - an "invisible hand" to use Adam
Smith's metaphor - are both powerful indoctrinating notions. As such, they bear
little resemblance to actual reality. Smith himself never used the word
"capitalism," preferring to call his economics a "system of
natural liberty." In fact, the inner logic of capitalism can be difficult
to get hold of simply because there have been different configurations of capitalism
throughout history. In its classic form, before the advent of corporations
(when there was still an implicit sense of social responsibility, and
insatiable greed was considered a vice), capitalism might have appeared less
virulent. Additionally, there is reason to believe that capitalism unfolded
differently in different countries with distinct political and legal
frameworks.
Quite often when you read newspapers, listen to radio and
watch television in the West you learn how poor Africans are and how corrupt
African leaders are. But you will never watch, read or hear anything in these
media outlets about the role being played by Western banking institutions,
property development and estate companies, the big corporations, and the
Western political and business elite in promoting corruption in Africa. When it
comes to Africa and the developing world, the Western media pretend to be doing
a good job only when there is an embarrassing story or a scandal that
undermines their credibility as watchdog of the state.
How many times will I try explaining to all these Bad
Samaritan economist that Devaluation is bad for Nigeria and any economy in the
time of contraction in growth? Right now, Nigerian revenue y/y is down by about
50%; GEJ and the PDP did not save a penny for 6 years and squandered the about
$55billion of Excess Crude Account and External Foreign Reserves that Yar’Adua left even when crude sold for an
average of $105/Barrel for the disastrous GEJ years. There are many historical examples, stretching
at least to the Great Depression, which show currency devaluations tend to go
hand-in-hand with economic turmoil. Out of
about 48 devaluations that took place during the Bretton Woods era; on balance,
they were mostly not successful. We also have recent devaluation efforts of the
US, UK, Russia and the recently celebrated China’s attempt to use devaluation
to stimulate exports, neither of which has spurred economic growth.
From the eco-systems of Silicon Valley to the slums of
Nairobi, and the squeaky-clean streets of Doha, experts are adamant that
education as we know it is changing. No longer does a formalised, structured
educational system serve global needs. The game has changed to fostering
creativity and innovation. The game has changed to finding imaginative
solutions. Panel experts at summits and leading entrepreneurs have pointed to
the significance of a little bit of craziness, adaptation, problem-solving,
innovation, teamwork and disruption. After all, with an element of craziness
and innovation, Apple and Google disrupted the way we communicate and the way
we seek knowledge. The Internet and email disrupted postal services. All became
possible through collaboration, competition and teamwork. So where is Africa going in the field of education? What
kind of education is most suited to serving the developmental needs of the
continent and at the same time making it globally competitive? How is Africa
going to harness its vast human and natural resources in the direction needed,
as the Pan-African icon Kwame Nkrumah put it, “To allow the African genius full
expression”.
The Historical Paradigm: All over the continent, governments have either settled with the legacy of
colonial education or tinkered with reform. But one country that is serious
about changing the existing paradigm to an appropriate educational system is
Uganda. Bwesigye Bwa Mwesigire, a Ugandan writer, lawyer and
academic, writes in an article culled in the online media platform, This is
Africa, about the decolonisation process going on in Uganda. “The African experience has been that education during
colonial times was driven by missionaries. The conventional wisdom suggests
that this was mainly through altruistic considerations – albeit racially tinged
– to bring light to the Dark Continent and enlightenment to its natives.” The language used was the tongue of the colonists. This
western education expanded the basic numeracy of natives, introduced literacy
and introduced new technical skills. There was the good and the bad. Most
African leaders, past and present went through a western education. It was
elitist. The education system had an in-built slant that meant it
suppressed local knowledge, promoted inequalities through unfair access, and
helped create a mindset of blind loyalty rather than open minds to new ways of
thinking. But the overriding philosophical approach was a top-down master
/servant relationship. Knowledge was defined by the master. The system was
further designed to serve the economic interests of the colonisers, which was
the primary motivation for colonialism in the first place.
Decolonising The Education Curriculum: On attaining independence, some post-colonial thinkers and politicians embarked
on the decolonisation of the education system, to serve the needs of Africans.
This has had varying degrees of success and failure. Most failures can be
attributed to the colonial mindset of African policy makers and implementers,
fostered by the former masters. Arguing for the abolition of the English Department and
establishment of the African Literature and Languages Department at the
University of Nairobi many years ago, Ngugi wa Thiong’o wrote:
New Trends, Resources, And Lessons From The East: From that historical foundation stone, how does Africa leapfrog its educational
deficits and release the African genius? In other words, how will it unleash
the African genie from the bottle? The Middle East is moving at a rapid rate to convert its finite natural
resources to human resources. Within their own cultural context, the Gulf
countries like the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia are making great
strides in the field of education, and becoming globally competitive in
business. For example, their airlines, shopping destinations and investments
are becoming global, all built on their cultural foundations and language.
Their schools and universities are affiliated to global best practice, but have
deep roots in their confidence-boosting culture and self-determination. It is that kind of wisdom that has driven, for the past
six years, the Qatar Foundation’s World Innovation Summit for Education
(WISE). The patron is Her Royal Highness Sheikha Moza Bint Nasser. At the
annual WISE educational summit in Doha, Qatar (4-6 November 2014) – with the
theme “Make, Create”, the Chairman of WISE, Sheikh Abdulla bin Ali Al-Thani,
noted that the natural gas and petroleum resources which have catapulted the
Peninsula into being the richest country in the world per capita will run out
in about 35 years. Most of Qatar’s earnings are thus being channelled into
infrastructure development and education.
Post-MDGs and MDG2: With the UN-backed Millennium Development Goals coming to a close this
year, MDG2, which sought to achieve Universal Primary Education, is as expected
under critical scrutiny. Figures indicating the success or failure of this
important goal vary globally due to a myriad of issues concerning public
health, resources, infrastructure and human resources. This is probably why one topic that garnered extensive
debate at WISE was how and why having a holistic approach to the delivery of
education and innovative ways to educate children is vital. At the Doha Summit,
education experts estimated that all that was required to put every child into
school was $26 billion, just a fraction of what is spent on some of the world’s
major armed conflicts. On the African front, education experts at the Summit
agreed that the quality of education in Africa still needs leapfrogging, with
many arguing that simple literacy and numeracy, as well as attaining MDG2, was
not enough. Fostering the thirst for knowledge, creativity,
innovation, solutions, and a growth-oriented mindset were some of the
suggestions made for the continent to progress. But what is the African
leadership’s common position on education after the 25-year-old MDGs? The jury
is still out on that one.
Beyond these confidence-building values, the creativity
of the African child must be unleashed in schools, to cultivate a focus on
solving problems and creating, making and selling stuff to the whole world.
For, after all, when the Gross National Products of countries are measured, it
is precisely about the harnessing of the human resources of that country to
deliver goods and services. The natural resources are just an enabler. As ideas about the ideal global educational paradigm
shift like the desert sands of Qatar, so must African policy makers rethink
education, ensuring that it is in the best interests of the continent, and
resist influences and pressures designed to entrench a status quo. Anything
short of that will be slow suicide. That is why there is an urgent need for
disruption in education, and also why teamwork involving all Africans on the
continent and in the diaspora is vital.
Religion has been a part of humanity since the first
astronomers peered into the sky and created elaborate stories to define the
movements of our universe. It made its way into our minds as we fearfully
created devils and demons to explain the danger lurking in the darkness of
night. It has both enchanted and burdened us as we attempt to define our world
with the information available to us as we work our way through history. However, things are quickly changing. For a growing number
of us worldwide, what was once indescribable is now easily explained by the
vast data we have gathered as we work towards refining our understanding. We
are becoming painfully aware that, although our religions gave us a starting
place for thinking about how our world functions, they no longer serve us in
that process; and in fact, have left a trail of destruction in their historic
path. Here are 11 ways religion is destroying humanity:
3. Young Men, Women and Children are willing to die to go to an imaginary Heaven and a supply of unlimited Insured Virgins and with an Ideology that is Barbaric to Humanity. While the leaders of these religious bodies are living in heaven on earth. Willing to sacrifice their their members to continue their evil agenda.
The best of our Youths are too Scared to ask questions; To Challenge Corruption; to unite as an indivisible power to change Nigeria....We are a generation of Idiots high on the weeds of Brainwashed Religion. We cannot even ask how many people of the 7billion of human Population are Christians and Muslims...A Bible and Quran Centric Youth; Not Interest in Nationalism and National Growth; but only interested in consumerism.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, when giving His Olivet Discourse in
Matthew 24, had this warning to give His disciples: “And many false prophets
shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love
of many shall wax cold.” (Matthew 24:11, 12).The Church throughout has history and even in present day
has seen myriads of heresiarchs and false prophets, each with a peculiar
damnable heresy. In these modern times, the one heresy that has infiltrated
many Christian churches, particularly ones that claim to be “Spirit-filled”, is
none other than “Prosperity Gospel”. Defined simply, “Prosperity Gospel” is nothing more than the
ancient heresy that the Blessed St. Paul had to confront when addressing a
letter to Timothy, which states: “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not
to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the
doctrine which is according to godliness; He is proud, knowing nothing, but
doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings,
evil surmisings, Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of
the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.” (I Timothy 6:3-5).
The thrust of international policy behind the phenomenon of
economic globalization is neoliberal in nature. Being hugely profitable to
corporations and the wealthy elite, neoliberal polices are propagated through
the IMF, World Bank and WTO. Neoliberalism favours the free-market as the most
efficient method of global resource allocation. Consequently it favours
large-scale, corporate commerce and the privatization of resources. There has been much international attention recently on
neoliberalism. Its ideologies have been rejected by influential countries in
Latin America and its moral basis is now widely questioned. Recent protests
against the WTO, IMF and World Bank were essentially protests against the
neoliberal policies that these organizations implement, particularly in
low-income countries. The neoliberal experiment has failed to combat extreme
poverty, has exacerbated global inequality, and is hampering international aid
and development efforts. This article presents an overview of neoliberalism and
its effect on low income countries.
Introduction: More than three decades after most African nations became independent, there is no consensus on the legacy of colonialism. With most African countries still only tottering on their feet and many close to collapse, some people ask whether the problem is due to Africa's colonial experience or inherent adequacies of the African? For apologists of colonialism the answer is simple. Whatever may have been the shortcomings of colonial rule, the overall effect was positive for Africa. Sure, the colonial powers exploited Africa’s natural resources but on the balance, colonialism reduced the economic gap between Africa and the West, the apologists argue. Colonialism laid the seeds of the intellectual and material development in Africans. It brought enlightenment where there was ignorance. It suppressed slavery and other barbaric practices such as pagan worship and cannibalism. Formal education and modern medicine were brought to people who had limited understanding or control of their physical environment. The introduction of modern communications, exportable agricultural crops and some new industries provided a foundation for economic development. Africans received new and more efficient forms of political and economic organisation. Warring communities were united into modern nation-states with greater opportunity of survival in a competitive world than the numerous mini entities that existed before. Africa is in political and economic turmoil today, defenders of imperialism say, because it failed to take advantage of its inheritance from colonial rule. It was, they summarise, Africa’s inadequacies that made colonisation necessary and the outcome of post-independence self-rule suggests that the withdrawal by the colonial powers was premature.
Walter Rodney in his thought provoking book “HOW EUROPE UNDERDEVELOPED AFRICA” offered unique insight in solving this puzzle. He suggested that most of the corrupt practices exhibited by African leaders are encouraged by the West; often times through their corporations who offer African leaders inducements to acquire the rights to exploit the resources available in their countries at bizarrely low prices to the detriment of Africans. Other experts have however disagreed with Rodney’s suggestions. Many have suggested (while not totally absolving foreign corporations of their role in encouraging corruption through kickbacks) that the real cause of corruption is lack of patriotism. Their reasoning is that leaders like the great Nelson Mandela who show a deep love and respect for their country would find it hard to sell out their country. Furthermore, it has been pointed out that decades of wars, ethnic unrest, famine and destruction have left many Africans poor and economically incapacitated (estimates suggest that 80 per cent of Africans live on less than $2 per day) which has left them with no other option than to engage in corrupt practices. In other words, the deep-rooted cause of corruption is poverty. Many economists have suggested that reduction in poverty could lead to reduction in levels of corruption.
FIGHTING CORRUPTION: In the fight against corruption in Africa, not all hope is lost as long as we exhibit the needed courage and enthusiasm to fight it. For Africa to overcome the menace of corruption, Africans need to act! There is a need for us to be more proactive than reactive in our efforts. This fight against corruption in Africa is not new. Over time, African leaders have often pledged to annihilate the scourge of corruption but have often lacked the will and courage to follow through with their promises. Corruption in Africa can be annihilated completely in many ways. Most of these processes are ‘tried and tested’ and have been employed by developed nations in their own fights. They range from preventive methods like standardised financial reporting, to reactive approaches ranging from jail terms to awarding punitive damages. Perhaps, the first step towards eliminating the threats of corruption in Africa is the implementation of the ‘United Nations Convention Against Corruption’ (UNCAC) which was ratified in 2005 by 145 countries and takes a holistic approach to corruption fighting under four main pillars: prevention, criminalisation, asset recovery and international cooperation.
Another important tool to eliminate corruption is public accountability. Allowing public oversight and giving citizens the power to hold elected officials accountable is believed that corruption will be minimally reduced. Public accountability can be encouraged by passing the ‘Freedom of Information Act’, which gives citizens the right to be privy to otherwise, undisclosed information, and allows them to have special knowledge of how their government is being run when they need to. To further discourage impropriety in governance, the ‘immunity clause’, which protects public officers from prosecution, should be removed. Since the tenets of the rule of law and democracy proclaim equality before the law, it is absurd for anyone to be outside the reaching grasp of the law. Many African leaders have hidden under the covers of immunity from prosecution to perform lots of atrocities and improprieties. For Africa to overcome the scourge of corruption, all these need to change.
In addition to this, corruption can be reduced by ensuring income equality. The high rate of income disparity in Africa is a root cause of corruption among the populace, majority of who live on less than two dollars per day. The disappearance of income inequality coupled with the emergence of an economic middle class would very surely reduce the level of corruption while increasing the level of accountability. In achieving income parity, sizeable investment should be made in the technology and education sectors to improve access, quality and affordability of education. More so, creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship should be encouraged for employment generation.
CONCLUSION: Finally, corruption is a menace that has eaten deep into the fabric of the society and even though the solutions provided above would go a long way in reducing the level of corruption drastically, it cannot however eliminate it. To eradicate corruption, there is a need for the rejuvenation of our value system. Values of hard work, honesty, contentment, diligence, persistence and other morals have eroded or become extinct. The urgent need for a reorientation of our values is summed up in the words of Joao Martins, the Managing Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers Mozambique, at the 16th Africa Tax and Business symposium, who while lamenting the prevalence of corruption in the form of red tape and agents or intermediaries, remarked that “it will take a whole generation to correct the structure that has been created”. To sum up the views of Africans on the need for a total overhaul of our value system, consider the remark of a youth from Accra, Ghana, in response to a recent ‘BBC Africa’ debate on ‘fighting corruption in Africa’, in her words: “we cannot fight corruption when everyone sees it as a normal thing”. Thus, it is essential for Africa to take its battle against corruption to the coming generation and ensure that they do not follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before them by teaching them our values and the importance of hard work; as it is often said in the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria that “the pruning of an Iroko tree (a giant tree) is done at the nursery stage.” Hence, the need to commence the grooming of our young ones by making sure true values and morals are enshrined in them for a better Africa.
