Declare National Mourning Because Of TI Opinions?

Friday, 10 December 2004
Why are some Nigerians unwilling to question Transparency International about their unorthodox and unscientific and unempirical “perception index” methodologies and procedures

Do some Nigerian Public Intellectuals now suffer from a siege mentality? Why do they always seem to jump unto the bandwagon of foreign critics of Nigerians and Nigeria for validation? Why are they, quick to support IMF, World Bank and now, Transparency International, in whatever these institutions cogitate about Nigerians and Nigeria? Whoever told these Nigerians that, these foreign institutions were established to pursue our national best interests or that these institutions are serving our interests in their conspicuous and regular pronouncements? What is this nonsense called corruption perception index? Perception is not always reality, don’t we know?

Recently, there have been many articles written by Nigerians on the corruption scourge.
I, just like every decent Nigerian abhor corruption, particularly, because of debilitation of our developmental goals and aspirations

However, Nigerians must learn to be more global and universal in their assessment of things Nigerian and in their discussion of Nigerian issues and the present Nigerian condition. In examining Nigeria’s successes and challenges, we must be fair and wisely put them in proper perspective and albeit, comparative in our analyses.

Since the announcement by Transparency International of their annual humdrum called the corruption perception index, also known as the yearly gratuitous insults to Nigeria and Nigerians, as the second or third most corrupt country, I guess, depending on ocean tides in a given year? It has become the custom for some highfaluting Public Intellectuals in Nigeria to hyperventilate, as they pronounce Nigeria as worse than everyone else on TI useless perception index.

Why are some Nigerians unwilling to question Transparency International about their unorthodox and unscientific and unempirical “perception” with which they engage in their spurious campaign against Nigeria and Nigerians? What is even more vexatious, is, why have some Nigerians who are, always taking delight in joining those who would malign and ridicule us.

Why are the Nigerians who are ever quick and willing to question Dr. Abalaka about his methodologies and procedures regarding his cure for AIDS medical claims, and those ever-willing to jump on Dr. Oyibo regarding his quantum breakthrough claims, or Mr. Emeagwali as the father of the internet, are the same persons who are unwilling or even tone-deaf, as we demand that Transparency International define their methodologies and procedures, which leads TI to these yearly lampoon-fest at Nigeria’s expense

Why are some intelligent Nigerians willing, to look the other way? In what is clearly an apparent fraud by Transparency International’s yearly jamboree of damnations? Have some of these Nigerians never heard? That perceptions, are not always realities? Since when did any policy formulations or implementations hinge on “perception index” a willy-nilly hunch, as TI has explained it, conducted by speaking with businesses and people of what they think about Nigerians and Nigeria regarding the existence of corruption? Sounds more like harvest forecasts!

I apparently did not receive the memo, which stipulates that “perception” as in perception index, is the new way to gather accurate data for the formulation and implementation of social policies! My perception is that it will be near impossible to enact a law to fight perceptions! Nigerians ought to want to know the basis, TI’s methods and procedures.

Mr. Obasanjo, an erstwhile member, founding member of TI, was correct in asking questions in connections with the basis, upon which TI have placed Nigeria in their vexatious and gratuitously insulting classifications. But Nigerian critics of government are not willing to examine fairly and intelligently, the continued typifying of Nigeria as a corrupt country, despite efforts that have been made by the current government to tackle corruption. The government needs to redouble or quadruple these efforts, no doubt.

These efforts at confronting and tackling corruption have culminated in the establishments of two agencies and the strengthening of others; Economic and Financial Crimes Commission or EFCC and Independent Corruption Practices Commission or ICPC; There is not doubt, that these agencies of government, must fight corruption more aggressively and more vigorously, there is no gainsaying that the EFCC and ICPC deserves more resources and budgets, to decimate corrupt practices, but it is saddening that current efforts are completely ignored, not complimented or recognized as steps in the right direction, initiated by the Mr. Obasanjo’s administration.

Nigerians in particular, and the world in general, must not soon forget, how the late Murtala Mohammed fought corruption, and the beneficiaries of corrupt practices cut him down, or how the Buhari/Idiagbon government fought corruption and indiscipline and the duo were overthrown, as they were making headways. We concede that methods used in the past by Murtala Mohammed and the Buhari/Idiagbon administrations, were mostly contrary to the rule of law and due process, and were a tad draconian, but Nigeria, I feel sometimes, needed such radical or nearly extreme measures to demolish social ills.

Such radical or extreme precise surgeries, are desirable, but a near impossibility in a federation, and in a country, that is practicing or laying claims to democratic tenets; The rule of law combined with the observance of due process must be enshrined

A case in point is governor Dariye of Plateau state.The president with the federal attorney general, made recommendations, following extensive investigations, at home and abroad, but, the Plateau state house of assembly, have just told Nigerians and the world, that fighting corruption will not begin in their backyard! Have they thumbed they noses?

It is worrisome, to read opinion leaders such as Dr. Pat Utomi and others, writing as if to suggest Nigerians and Nigeria should declare and national mourning because of the activities of 419ers! Or that Nigeria should not fly our national flag, at half mast because, offensive and fraudulent e-mail emanate from Nigeria? Professor Bolaji Aluko 17 points strategy for fighting corruption is laudable, as he proffer solutions and not just tears.

But, Everyday, I receive more than one hundred e-mails, inviting and enjoining me to enlarge one body part or the other, or to participate in one lottery or another, in which I am usually assured a win, or some other junk mails or spam mails, that constantly invite me to get rich quick by working at home or by registering my name in the international star registry, some of these offers vary the elegant to the sublime and to the really idiotic!

But I have never blamed Americans or their government for these, offensive intrusive e-mails instead, I noticed a key function on my computer keyboard, called delete! And I resort to this delete key, whenever I receive the inconvenience of our electronic modern age, computer and internet technology of our electronic century… Only the crooks and the gullible, would respond to an invitation to receive inheritance or dormant money, allegedly laying fallow, invitation to share, from a source that describe himself as a criminal, but nevertheless, promises to be honest just this once, with his gullible collaborator e-mail recipient, who, with the clear intent to aid and abet a criminal conspiracy, has his life’s savings swiped and wiped out! Why do we cry for people, whose only intent, was to harm us? American highest courts have ruled in Nigeria’s favor, based on this rational and the law or logic, “if you intended a crime and you lost”, and the doors of the courts are slammed in your face. No help to recoup your loss, in what was purely a criminal enterprise!
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=the+crooks+the+gullible+adujie&btnG=Google+Search

And whatever happens to comparative analyses? Is the TI corruption perception index measured by how money is actually lost in corruption, versus the population and financial wealth of the countries concerned or is it just a coin toss sorts of decision? How is it, the losses occasioned by Enron’s Everest high frauds and consequent bankruptcy does not make America the most corrupt country in the world, oh, please add corruption at Global Crossing, WorldCom and the plethora of American corporate greed and corruption, or the no-bid conflict of interest and self-dealing by the Bush administration and Halliburton, Kellog, Brown & Root etc or the big Boston Dig, a highway and tunnel, that took more than a decade to build and ran over budgeted contract price with more than one billion dollars!

Elliot Spitzer Esq. the Attorney General of the State of New York, where I live, has dug up, American corporate greed and corruption all over the place and the question has to be asked, is TI aware of the existence of country called the United States, where all these aforementioned giant cases of corruption have been exhumed in the last 18 months? Does the US belong to the top ten on TI silly perception index and if not, why not? Or is it the case that the US is too rich and is too developed, so corruption in the US is not debilitating or that the US has resources enough to waste, and corruption in the US, therefore does not matter?

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=elliot+spitzer&btnG=Google+Search
Eliot Spitzer 2006 Elliot Spitzer for Governor of this great State. ... I believe Eliot Spitzer is a fighter against corruption and greed and a champion of ...
http://www.spitzer2006.com/main.cfm http://www.google.com/search http://web.ask.com/web http://www.highbeam.com/library/search.asp

There is corruption in Nigeria, there is corruption all over the world, wherever business and capitalism thrives, there is bound to be some form of corruption, corruption is bad for progress, it should be confronted and tackled, the Americans do this, through legislations, regulations and enforcements, the Nigerians have started a similar process of legislating, regulating and enforcing such rules, these efforts needs to be more aggressive and vigorous, but to be fair, we must give credit for these efforts to the current Nigerian government of Mr. Obasanjo and his Nuhu Ribadu EFCC, and his Justice Akanbi’s ICPC. And all Nigerian Public Intellectuals need to be more discerningly circumspect

“I have had the hunch that it is the work of some Nigerians. Unlike citizens of other countries in the world Nigerians are noted for their pessimism engendered by their poor self-images and degraded outlook of themselves. Most Nigerians are a people who look down on themselves while elevating others national above them. They usually assume that the grass is greener on the other side than their own… Julius Joel@gamji.com http://web.ask.com/web?q=crooks+gullible+adujie These ubiquitous Nigerian commentators insist, that their mockery of Nigeria is done lovingly and affectionately, even as they engage in the most unflattering of analyses and prognoses; What sorts of affectionate analyses and examinations are these? We are informed that, these debased portrayal of leadership and country, are for the good of all! We are told that these scalding comments about Nigeria have arisen from the perpetrators’ thankless missionary efforts to salvage a beleaguered country!

Nigerian government should be encouraged to give more resources to these agencies, even as the constitutions is reviewed and amended regarding immunities for public officials, who now use immunity as cloak and dagger for their selfish and corrupt benefit.

Nigerians must define what is good for Nigeria, there are benefits imbued in self-definition and self-assertion, Nigerians need to practice self-definition and self-assertion, not join the bandwagons of lampooners, and such maligners as the TI does to Nigeria with its inconsequential corruption perception index, it is meaninglessly useless and subjective.