A Book Review
Title:
Antidotes for Corruption: the Nigeria story
Pagination:
Author: Senator
Dino Melaye.
Publisher: AfricAgenda Limited, Abuja, Nigeria.
Reviewer: Babatunde Faniyan
“In the
Beginning, God created the heaven and the earth . . .
. . . And God
said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of
the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping
thing that creepeth upon the earth . . .
. . . And God
saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good”
- The Holy Bible;
Genesis 1:1-31.But this Very Good setting by God was soon
polluted by Man.
The pollution began with the temptation of the first
man and the first woman with the lure of an “attractive” apple and the promise
of the power of knowledge, instigated by Satan who manifested in the form of a
serpent. And today, the Very Good
World setting established by God in Creation, has become VERY BAD. Why? Because
the original pollution caused by Adam and Eve has evolved into Corruption that has become, arguably
the Number One enemy of Man and of the world to-day.
Because of this
Corruption, God destroyed the entire world in the day of Noah – sparing only
Noah’s family as fully recorded in Genesis 6. But the subsequent population
that again grew from Noah’s family did not learn from history.
Corruption has
continued to grow in leaps and bounds to this day, the 21st Century.
Because of this Corruption, wars have been fought. Whole nations and
civilizations have been destroyed. Millions of human beings have died. Because
of this Corruption, Mankind has never been at peace.
To a large
extent, and for all intents and purposes, it seems as if the authorities and
citizens of Nigeria especially, where Corruption is ravaging like wild fire in
the harmattan, are helpless against the onslaught of Corruption which is
threatening to kill the country. Here, many things are falling apart
in virtually every socio-economic sector, and Nigerians are no
longer at ease. Indeed, corruption has become a “sub
culture” in Nigeria.
 |
With its
terribly destructive effects on mankind the world over – especially on
Nigerians to-day, the discerning mind should wonder why and how Corruption has
continued to grow, expand and become more devastating over the centuries. Why
has man not found a solution or antidote to the scourge till the present
moment? Why has Corruption defied all strategies to tame or eradicate it?
Are we afraid
of, and helpless against the scourge?
At least,
someone is not helpless, and is not afraid of the intimidating and
destructive credentials of Corruption. Someone has decided to dare. Someone has
arisen to confront it with a mission to taming the monster.
Who is this
someone?
He is Senator
Dino Melaye, author of the exemplary book, ANTIDOTES FOR CORRUPTION – THE NIGERIA
STORY. He happens to be the founder of the Anti Corruption Network, a Non-governmental organisation. So the
reader would have an idea where this rare breed of a Nigerian is coming from,
and get a sniff of his pedigree. He is no neophyte in the realm of going head
to head against Corruption. He is at home when it comes to raising his voice
against all forms of injustices and corruption any where it raises its head.
Sampler: when
Melaye was in the House of Representatives, a time came when the House went to
war against the then Speaker, Patricia Ette based on some allegations against
her. Dino Melaye sifted through the allegations and saw that they did not hold
water. He saw through the mist that the honourable lady was being victimized,
mainly by the male Northern-Muslim representatives because they found it
difficult to bow before a woman as protocol demands. Melaye then stood firmly
in support of the Speaker till the end.
Again, in 2011,
governmental or official corruption came to one of its climaxes, when, instead
of the appropriated and budgeted 280 Billion Naira for fuel subsidy, the
government expended a scandalous, indefensible and outrageous sum of Two
Trillion, three hundred billion Naira (N2,300,000,000,000.) extra budgetary
allocation for fuel subsidy against all extant laws and constitutional
provisions.
They then raised the pump price of petrol from N65 to N140. Dino
Melaye would not allow this to stand while he is alive. It’s on record that he
was then the Executive Secretary of the Anti-Corruption Network and the very
first person, to kick-start the protest at the Eagle Square in Abuja, almost a
week before the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and others joined the protest.
Hear him: “This
protest, painfully, did not achieve the total reversal of the price as demanded
by Nigerians, because the NLC aborted the protest in a manner that was
suggestive of an unholy compromise - so it was rumoured. The protest however
achieved a modest price reversal to N97 per litre”. The disappointments of
Nigerians regarding this aborted protest and seeming triumph of governmental
corruption, eventually inspired myself and a few others to mull the idea of
establishing a Non-Governmental Organization to fight the menace of moral,
governmental, political, official, systemic and leadership corruption in
Nigeria. Hence the establishment and registration of the Anti- Corruption Network in the month of January 2012.
Among its
harmful effects, the Book categorically proves that Corruption has inevitably
become
a major clog in the quest for
sustainable growth and development and raises the cost of government;
-
the single most critical impediment to
achieving the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs);
-
a
deadly virus, attacking the vital structures and systems that engender
progressive functioning of the society, It undermines democracy itself and
civil society;
-
has largely retarded social development,
undermined economic growth, discouraged foreign investments and reduced the
resources available for infrastructural development, public service, and
poverty reduction programmes;
-
leaves the poor perpetually disproportionately
under-privileged, even as it renders the development of democracy and the
building of a society of opportunity more problematic, Increasing overall
cynicism towards government.
The Book is a
monumental and powerful saga that has dug to the very depths of history to
expose the machinations of Corruption vis-a-vis the welfare of Mankind through
the ages. Dino Melaye traced the pollution from the Garden of Eden; to
eye-opening studies of the fate of old civilizations and kingdoms such as the
Roman, Greet empires. He followed this up by shifting emphasis – in line with
the title of the book - on our motherland Nigeria. He examined the Nigerian
story from the Colonial era – and painted a vivid, comprehensive, and very
alarming picture of the “activities” of Corruption through all the governments
from Tafawa Balewa to the Present Day.
One thing that
stands out in the writing of this book is the courage put into it by the author
– Dino (Daniel) Melaye. He did not pull any punches in the revelation of names,
facts and figures on Corrupt episodes. As has been mentioned in another piece
by this Reviewer, the writing of this book conjures in the mind of the reader,
the Biblical Daniel going into the ferocious den of the lion! Now, Melaye, our
21st Century Daniel has plunged into the den of the lion
(Corruption), dragging the “lion” out into the open, unmasking and exposing
what makes it tick. This demystifying and expository job on Corruption is no
doubt, a vital step in the crusade to fighting the scourge to a standstill for
the survival of Nigeria. Having exposed Corruption for what it is, Dino Melaye
went on to proffer suggestions on ways to either wipe it out completely or, cut
it down to its minimum in our societal fabric for the wellbeing of ourselves and
posterity.
Here is a work
in which Corruption has been dragged into the open, with the searchlight turned
fully on the scourge. Dino Melaye has further “belled the cat” - so to speak,
by standing up to be counted as a soldier against Corruption. With this book,
he has thrown the challenge to patriotic Nigerians to rise up with him in the
crusade that Corruption must be halted in its march, before it shuts down the
country.
Babatunde
Faniyan
is a Lagos based author, publisher and communications consultant.
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