British Documents on the End of Empire : Moving to Independence 1953-1960
Despatch no 53 from Sir J Roberston to Mr Macleod reviewing the end of British rule in Nigeria and prospects for the future 15 Sept 1960
14. Another of Nigeria’s great handicaps is the rifeness of graft and corruption throughout all grades of the public service, and indeed in every walk of life.
Pious exhortations against this cancer in the public life are made from pulpits, in the Press and by leading citizens, but the vice is so ingrained in the attitude of the people that there is no force of public opinion to oppose it.
Nurses in the hospitals need a ‘dash’ before they bring a bedpan to a patient; traffic police make profitable incomes on the roads; scholarships and even entry into secondary schools may be impossible, unless the right people are squared; and at the top, Ministers are alleged to accept large ‘presents’ from those to whom contracts are awarded.
In these cases much of the responsibility rests on the shoulders of foreign firms who, in their avid desire for business, are prepared to go to these sordid lengths to obtain it.
The conspiracies of silence, and the placid acceptance of this situation as one of the facts of life make inquiry and proof almost impossible, and the evil has unfortunately not been stamped out by us. It is therefore one of the serious handicaps which the new State faces.
There are, of course, many Ministers who do not adopt such practices, and whose names are not connected with them: the Prime Minister, Chief Akintola in the West and Dr. Okpara in the East among them; but they, too, are almost powerless to do anything.
Other Ministers probably make no personal profit, but channel the bribes into party funds.
- Independence ball, Nigeria, 1960 (Marc Riboud) - marcriboud.com
COMMENTS
Wow. I can’t believe that what I thought started in the seventies (that was when I concluded so by myself) was already so well established and accurately documented in the fifties (that’s when I was born).
We’ll never develop unless this changes significantly. But it’s actually far worse now, that even parents routinely pay for exam malpractices on behalf of their children, and legislators discreetly or openly demand for gratification before approving allocations to MDAs, and extort money from businessmen who are even innocent of the alleged crimes (remember Farooq Lawan vs Otedola, the prosecution of which is yet to be concluded since 2013 … see the thread below).
Now, the majority of Nigerians, though they complain of corruption, have no real conscientious objection to “giving and taking”, to “sort out” any matter.
We certainly need a more drastic way out of this culture. Or we’ll never leave where we are now.
We don’t appear to have found that way, beyond political rhetorics.
FROM THE RECORDS.
Farouk Lawan versus Otedola political extortion case.
Farouk was the chairman of the “Integrity Group”.
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/5630-farouk_lawan_didn_t_act_alone.html
