….Greed, Ethics, and Public Service in Nigeria
Nigeria, a country with a rich cultural heritage and abundant natural resources,
has grappled with the complex interplay of greed, ethics, and public service
throughout its history.
The nexus between these elements has had profound
implications for the nation’s development, governance, and the well-being of
its citizens. The interplay of greed, ethics, and public service in Nigeria is a
complex and ongoing challenge that requires sustained efforts from the
government and the citizens. Addressing these issues is essential for the
nation’s progress and fostering a society where public servants are dedicated
to serving the common good rather than their personal interests. Margaret
Smith opines, “Public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and
honestly. It must be a complete dedication to the people and to the nation.”
The greed of the political elite and civil servants has led to the deepening of
low ethical and moral values in government and society. The arithmetic sum of
this geometric rise of greed and the catastrophic decline of ethical values is an
epidemic of corruption. I will demonstrate how far we have gone on this
cancerous path and why the political leadership, bureaucracy and a docile
cum compliant civil society are all responsible.
Greed and excessive desire for wealth, power, or material possessions have
been pervasive in Nigerian society, not just in public service. This insatiable
appetite for personal gain has prominently manifested in public service
corruption. Fuelled by greed, corruption undermines the foundation of public
institutions, erodes public trust, and hinders socio-economic progress. The
multiple manifestations of greed and unethical conduct in Nigeria’s public
service are so common that they no longer make the news or attract public
opprobrium unless they are humongous in nature.
It is a cliché that a budding politician of average means will, in just a short time
in office, buy the latest car , ‘choice-houses’ at home and abroad and live a life
of luxury greater than his official emoluments can cover. This is so normalized
that people expect that of him, and if he fails to live up to this expectation, he
is told off by his peers and family members.
Civil servants are not exempted from this cankerworm that has destroyed the
fabric of our society. Political appointees rely on civil servants to guide and
advise them; however, evidence abounds that they are the first to compromise
and bend the rules for personal gain. Almost all spectacular public sector
scandals have the seal of civil servant’s compromise or are perpetuated by
one. The establishment of EFCC, ICPC and many rules and regulations has
yet to help matters. This unchecked greed by bureaucrats impedes
developmental initiatives and perpetuates inequality and poverty. Joe Biden
laments that “corruption is cancer: cancer that eats away at a citizen’s faith in
democracy diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity; already-tight
national budgets, crowding out important national investments.”
A situation where a director in civil service or MDAs owns billions of Naira
worth of choice assets in major cities in Nigeria and abroad when his
earnings, both from the service, his businesses, if any, or inheritance cannot
cover the value of these assets demonstrates the malady of greed and
corruption. A cursory look within our major cities will show a panoply of these
circumstances, and most citizens know this. There is no accountability and no
consequences for perpetrating such crass greed and corruption against
Nigeria.
To demonstrate the extent of the rot within our system, I will compare two
examples of greed, corruption, and response to ethical issues in Nigeria and
Australia. A certain Barry O’Farrell was New South Wales Premier in Australia.
Under investigation, it was proven that he had received a gift of a bottle of
wine from a businessman, which he did not disclose. The ethical standard of
Australian society forced him to resign his exalted office. Compare this to
Abdulrasheed Maina, who, at the time, oversaw pension funds, among other
infractions, bought a property in Abuja and paid cash of $1.4m. Maina did not
resign. It took a tedious court process to convict him of obvious malfeasance
for which ethical standards should have made him take an honourable exit.
Without prejudice to the facts of the matter, in the past one or two weeks, we
have been inundated with unpalatable stories of public officials who have
completely jettisoned ethical and moral standards in public service. It is not
just about the law and public service rules but the standard of decency
acceptable in any sane society.
We have the infamous cases of the alleged $6 billion electricity contract fraud,
Minister Betta Edu, and the alleged diversion of funds into a private account,
and Hajia Halima Shehu and the alleged N37b fraud. These are not isolated
cases and represent the preponderance of allegations of fraud and misuse of
public funds by public servants. At the sub-national level, things seem worse
as the institutions and framework to check unethical behaviour and corruption
are weak and, in most cases, non-existent. Here, accountability and
transparency belong to the museum. This deserves serious focus.
On the other hand, ethics are the moral principles that govern individuals’
behaviour, emphasizing honesty, integrity, and accountability. In the context of
public service, ethical conduct is crucial for maintaining public trust and
ensuring that the interests of the citizens are prioritized over personal gains.
Unfortunately, ethical lapses have been a challenge in Nigerian public service,
contributing to a culture of corruption and maladministration. When driven by
ethical considerations, public servants are more likely to act in the public’s
best interest, but when ethics take a backseat to personal gain, the
consequences are felt across society.
The real issues are questions of integrity, ethical standards, and greed.
Overcoming the challenges of greed and a lack of ethics in Nigerian public
service requires a multi-faceted approach. Legislative reforms, institutional
strengthening, reorientation and a commitment to fostering a culture of
integrity are essential to this process. At the core of achieving this is proactive
leadership, demonstrating a political will to tackle corruption and enthrone an
ethical environment strengthened by enforcement of the rule of law, where all
forms of maleficence are condemned, and the guilty are held accountable .
Let us examine a few factors that are imperative to consider the issue of
greed, corruption, and ethics in public service in Nigeria. First, self-interest
among political appointees and politicians is more of a global convention.
Politicians access power, allocate patronage to themselves and often corner
the benefits in cash. Apportionment of pork is a feature of politics everywhere.
It may be cash, favours, influence, and project siting. However, politicians’
self-interest should be enlightened and not primitive, and money for politics
comes by following the bureaucratic due process of contract procedures and
procurement laws, and they must sensibly do this. But the self-interest of
these politicians feeds on the “compromise of the bureaucracy”. If politicians
and political appointees try to access resources while bypassing the
bureaucracy, it becomes corrupt because it violates due process and extant
rules.
Second, the processes of the bureaucracy on matters of resource
appropriation constitute the ethics of the public sector. The rules and
procedures exist to protect the state, the officials, and resources. If they are
violated, it becomes a free-for-all; people help themselves to whatever
resources they can lay their hands on. In Nigeria, there is first a collapse of
public service ethics and a lack of capacity to enforce the rules. There is also
the self-interest of politicians and political appointees in a manner that needs
to be more refined and enlightened. This is the foundation of greed, which
feeds corruption.
Third is the issue of consequence management, which must be taken
seriously. Where unethical behaviour has no consequences, it becomes an
incentive for others to follow suit. Charles Colton argues, “Corruption is like a
ball of snow; once it sets rolling, it must increase.” This is the weakest link in
our fight against corruption.
Thus far, we have explored the dynamics of greed, ethical considerations, and
their impact on public service in Nigeria. This government must fight greed
and corruption at all levels to achieve our shared aspirations of a developed
Nigeria, a true giant of Africa. As Alice M Rivlin propounds, “If citizens lose
faith in the integrity of public officials, democracy is at risk”.
