It is said that when an evil act is perpetrated over a long period of time, it becomes the culture of the people. I do not know whether the same can be said about other acts that are acceptable in the community. In 2003 when I was a student, we woke up to the reality that
Nigerian patients in public hospitals must pay for or provide gloves before doctors can examine them. In this 2016, patients of teaching hospital in Nigeria are still mandated to purchase hand gloves and other materials being used regularly by doctors in the course of their treatment. It has become the culture of the people of Nigeria. The same approach to solving problems is seen in every department or facet of public life in Nigeria. Those of us who have accepted these practices as a way of life have labeled it "The Nigerian factor”. Maybe none of us are proud of what the moral life of the country has become, but most of us are not in a position to make any difference, the most we can do is talk and write about it.
Some days when you try to use the rest rooms at MMA Lagos? You are bound to notice several well fed individuals brandishing tissue papers in front of the rest rooms. It is as if someone ensures that there are no tissue papers in the rest rooms and travelers are therefore forced to pay these individual and obtain a handful of tissue paper. Their desperation will suggest that even if management decides to provide tissue papers, same may be removed over night so that this business will continue unabated. Well readers that is the Nigerian factor. You can be rest assured that these care takers are making some returns to someone.
It is a similar story with Nigerian airport immigration officers. Some of them keep flipping through the pages of your passport and telling you that you need to sort them out until you are forced to hand tips. If I may ask for what reason are you being tipped? Is it that immigration officer not being paid? Why do I have to pay you to stamp my passport? Well again that is the Nigerian factor.
At the same airport, a custom officer begins to search your luggage with the conviction that you have no contraband yet he asks you to sort him out for easy screening. Is it that custom officers are not being paid? Why do I have to pay him to do his job?
When you go to major fast food joints, security officers often show you where to park and walk behind you waiting for you to give him a tip. You can argue that tipping is universal but in bigger hotels they offer to park the cars themselves. In Nigeria they give the minimum assistance and expect tips.
It is the same story in passport offices, along main roads where you deal with police officers etc. The same thing goes on in different ministries, parastatals etc. In fact even pensioners are forced at one point or the other to gratify some officials before they can be paid their rightful entitlements. People no longer get jobs on merit, instead they are sometimes asked to pay some money to the recruiter or pledge to forfeit certain percent of their salary for a given number of months.
We must call a spade a spade, "Nigerian factor" is just another form of corruption that needs to be stamped out of the country. It is a welcome development that Buhari has refused to fund his party APC with national treasury. At least not the way the party chairman expected, thus the chairman is saying that APC is broke. Fight against corruption should involve everyone.
We welcome you all to share your experiences of the so called Nigerian factor.
The least we can do is to talk about it.
My dear, one my way back from Nigeria, I was searched by these so called officers at the airport and when they didn't find anything, they openly asked me for a tip as if it was their right and when I gave them 2000naira they said it was not enough.I think there are lots of factors to be addressed for these kind of behaviours to stop.like you rightly said, they have someone they give account to so how can they stop when their job security depends on the returns they give to their bosses. People should be paid adequately to reduce such behaviours and laws should be put in place to penalise such behaviours.
ReplyDeleteThe greatest deterrent to breaking the law anywhere in the world is the fear of being caught and moreso the fear of the consequences of being caught.
ReplyDeleteIf I am asked, it is the judicial system in Nigeria that has failed us. Nobody is afraid breaking any law because there are virtually no consequences.
I recall a story about a top UNO official that said he would love to live in Nigeria after retirement because in Nigeria one could do anything he/she wanted as long as you have money.
Nigeria is a lawless society . Even the traditional consequences of bad conduct in the villages have all been eroded.
Secondly our value systems have dramatically moved away from respect for age and integrity to respect for money. Money rules, in politics, in town hall meetings and even in familes. So everybody is going after money wherever, however.
Only a return of integrity in the judicial system can help us put everybody in check.