Corruption in High Places

[NWODI Daniel Chinedu]

The Role of African Students in putting corruption in Perspective?

[NWODI Daniel Chinedu]

ETUDIANTS SANS FRONTIERE
Cotonou Address: Benin Marina Hotel, Annex 003, Campus Address Université D’Abomey Calavi,
Batiment E I 202 Republic of Benin Cell Phone [phone]
[phone], [phone]


THE ROLE OF AFRICAN STUDENTS IN PUTTING CORRUPTION IN
PERSPECTIVE

BY

MESSAN SUNDAY LANRE

Good morning distinguished ladies and gentlemen, young people of Nigeria, all protocols observed. It gives me immense pleasure to be here with you today as address this issue of crucial importance to the creation of a productive and thriving society. My name is Lanre Messan behalf of LEAP Africa, I would speaking on the topic THE ROLE OF AFRICAN STUDENTS IN PUTTING CORRUPTION IN PERSPECTIVE, and I am excited to have been asked to speak with this gathering of young people from different part of the country/Africa, while recognising and celebrating our diversities as a nation/continent .
Leadership, Effectiveness, Accountability and Professionalism (LEAP) Africa is a non-profit organization, whose mission is to inspire, empower and equip a new cadre of African leaders. Given our conviction that young people can serve as change leaders in their communities, LEAP offers youth leadership institutes across Nigeria. Over a one-year period, this programme equips young people with the skills, tools and support that they require to serve as effective leaders.
Since its inception in May 2002, LEAP has been focused on building its knowledge base, industry networks and experience. It has also successfully participated in a range of capacity building efforts for entrepreneurs and young leaders in Africa through projects for the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation in Rwanda and the Harvard Business School. It has also hosted programmes for youth in Abuja, Enugu, Ibadan, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt. In addition, LEAP successfully hosted the Annual Nigerian Youth Leadership Awards in 2004 and 2005.

INTRODUCTION

In the world today one in every five person is between the ages of 15-25years, which is an accepted UN definition of the age that defines youth.
Although by the provisions of the Nigerian Youth Policy 2001, those between the ages of 18-35 are considered as the youth.
There are over a one billion youth in the world today, with 85% living in developing countries. Most importantly the needs of youth all over the developing countries are still not being met.

Youth employment and livelihood problems are particularly acute and growing in Nigeria, especially because they remain poorly defined or addressed.
The resultant effect of this flaw on the part of government and those in places of authority is seen evident in the level of POVERTY, which in turn breeds an environment that has encouraged social devastation like drug-addition, excessive smoking, alcoholism and tendencies towards suicide.
[The cases of youth daring death to scoop fuel at burst pipes is a clear example fresh in the minds of so many]

Most problems faced by young people are nurtured by the feeling of hopelessness, an unstable and uncertain future. The perversion of order, logic and right thinking amongst the youth and those are “at the helm of affairs is directly linked to the entrenchment of corruption, in our social fabric.
Yet a large number of Nigerian youth simply wish to make something of them, but unfortunately do not know how to go about this.

WHAT THEN IS CORRUPTION
WHAT IS CORRUPTION?

Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain

Corruption is
a. Impairment of integrity, virtue or moral principle
b. Inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means (as bribery), and
c. A departure from the original or from what is pure and correct

Corruption is the gangrene of democracy, the AIDS of democracy .

Examples of Acts of Corruption
o Abuse of Power: Making excessive or improper decisions, choices, or appointments because one's authority allows them to do so.
o Misuse of government funds/property: All forms of inappropriate use or diversion and distribution of government funds and property without proper authorisation, especially for personal gain rather than public interest and welfare.

o Examination malpractice: All forms of cheating, which directly or indirectly falsify the ability of a student.

o Favouritism: A display of partiality towards a favoured person or group against another better qualified.

o Plagiarism: To appropriate the writings, graphic representations or ideas of another person and represent them as one's own, (that is, without proper attribution). Plagiarism is a form of intellectual property violation.

o Influence peddling: The practice of using one’s influence with persons in authority to obtain favours or preferential treatment for another, usually in return for payment.

o Corporate prostitution: A situation whereby business owners, expect their employees to attract clients by offering sexual favours.

o Insider trading: An individual basing his/her trade of stock in a public company on information that the public does not know.

o Cronyism: Favouring one’s friends in awarding government contracts or making appointments.

o Nepotism: Partiality to a relative, for example, in granting contracts or making appointments.

o Fraud: An intentional deception carried out to secure an unjust gain.

o Advanced-fee Fraud (419): Obtaining from a person anything capable of being stolen, or inducing a person to deliver to another person anything capable of being stolen through any false pretence, and with intent to defraud.

o Mismanagement: A collective term covering acts of waste and abuse. Extravagant, careless, or needless expenditure of government funds or the consumption or misuse of government property or resources, resulting from deficient practices, systems, controls or decisions. Abuse of authority of similar actions that do not involve criminal fraud.

o Vote rigging/buying: Deliberate interference with the process of an election.

o Round tripping: Banks obtaining foreign exchange at official government rates and illegally reselling them at Black Market rates, making huge profits in the process.

o Bribery: Giving or offering something to a person or organisation in a position of trust to induce that agent to behave in a way that is inconsistent with that trust.

o Extortion: Obtaining something valuable from another either through violence or threats of violence. Commonly practiced by “area-boys.”

CAUSES OF CORRUPTION

• Weak government institutions
o Legal systems
o The Civil Service
o The Police
• Lack of freedom of information
• Poverty and illiteracy
• Societal demands and pressures
• Lack of political and economic freedom
• Social attitudes
• Absence of effective checks and balances
• Opaque rules and procedures
• Poor pay packages for members of the civil service, public and private sector.

ACTS OF CORRUPTION OFTEN SPEARHEADED BY YOUNG PEOPLE

• Plagiarism: To appropriate the writings, graphic representations or ideas of another person and represent them as one's own, (that is, without proper attribution). Plagiarism is a form of intellectual property violation.

• Age and qualification falsification: A large percentage of our youth lie about their ages, grades, work experiences and qualifications, when applying for job interviews and advanced degrees

• Identity fraud: Representing someone, with or without their knowledge for personal gain. 4 out of 5 LEAP participants claim to have taken a test for another individual.

• Bribery: Something that is given or offered to a person or organization in a position of trust to induce that agent to behave in a way that is inconsistent with that trust.

THE WAY FORWARD

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS…

• Right to participate in decision making in matters that affects you
• Right to proper education and training
• Right to adequate shelter ,health care, social and food security
• Protection against the danger to substance abuse
• Freedom of opinion...etc

So many of these rights are eluding young people …yet no one is doing nothing about it, no one is saying nothing about it…probably because no one knows what they have a right to….

BE THE CHANGE YOU WISH TO SEE IN SOCIETY

So many time we wish for things we are not even doing….in our communities we want it all good people , good services and all…you have to start by becoming good and then the reflection of your personality would influence others…..


(1) Youth as Teachers: be the ones to change mindsets of others in your community, having learnt what they lack and are unaware of...

(2) Youth as Community Manpower: mobilize your peers to action, do not sit on the fence, when you see issues that need to be addressed get together and collectively try to resolve such issues. Offer your services to the community’s there a bad road causing untold hardship in your community organize yourselves and get it fixed the way you can,

(3) Youth as Entrepreneurs, get empowered and start a business initiative, learn a new trade, acquire skills that are relevant to meeting available needs in your community and get yourself gainfully employed.

(4) Youth as Community Problem-Solvers: be the gatekeepers of your community, find out where and how you can eradicate difficulties faced by both youth and elderly in your communities, galvanize support to institute

(5) Youth as Communicators: set the agenda for those who are in authority…let them know what you need and not what they think you need, Be the whistle blowers in your community…. SPEAKOUT and resist every form of corruption because if you do not it would destroy the stability of your community and country at large.
Form coalitions for demanding for reforms focused on problems of the poor

(6) Youth as Resources for Youth.

(7) LEAD TODAY AND NOT TOMORROW….if you keep waiting for tomorrow you never would see a day called tomorrow. Every day is today.

WHAT CAN ONE DO?
Steps you can take to curb corruption:

Model behaviour
 Model the moral ethics you wish to see in Nigeria
 Live your code of conduct
 Resolve to do the right thing at the right time
 Be a part of the cure, not the disease.

Write about corruption
 On the Internet
 In the media (newspapers, journals, magazines)

Join/Start Clubs and Networks
 Your school, or community will surely profit from an anti-corruption club, through which like minded individuals can come together to initiate projects on the issue.
 Contact local groups working on this or similar issues. Encourage them to take up this issue, if they have not already done so. If you cannot find such a group close to you, you might consider starting one yourself.

Speak Out
 Emphasize the need for any group, club, community etc. to which you belong to craft a code of conduct to guide its operations
 Participate in conferences, public hearings, and meetings on the issue
 Become a whistle blower: A whistle blower is one who reveals wrongdoing within an organisation to the public or to those in positions of authority. A whistle blower can decide to be anonymous or identifiable. The merits of a whistle blower are:

o Inner satisfaction that comes from doing the right thing and having a clear conscience
o Potential for saving lives
o Potential for becoming a national hero

Some of the risks of whistle blowing are:
o Loss of job, position, status, family and friends
o Charges may not be brought against the offenders
o Your life could be threatened



The people of the world are holding concerts and demonstrations in their streets to make Africa’s poverty history. What are we ordinary Africans, the victims of bad governance, of government corruption, of poverty, doing in response to this global awakening about our plight? I challenge you to rise up and speak out loud and clear against bad governance, against poverty and most importantly CORRUPTION.

CRAFT A CODE OF CONDUCT TO ENSURE YOU LIVE A LIFE OF INTEGRITY

[Dammylola]

This is beautiful Daniel, Pls KEEP IT UP