Are Nigerians really corrupt or do we just have a culture of corruption? Brian Klaas, in his book, ‘Corruption, Who Gets Power And How It Changes Us’ wrote, “Cultures of corruption have a drastic effect on individual behavior.”
The same “corrupt” Nigerians become law-abiding people in advanced countries. They obey traffic laws, pay taxes, respect the rights and properties of others etc; Because failure to do so is immediately met with instant punishment.
Now, I'm not saying there aren't bad Nigerians who are corrupt through and through. After all, almost every day we hear about the acts of atrocities committed by Nigerians living overseas. But you know what? Even their own citizens commit the same crimes.
Uproot virtuous and law-abiding citizens of any nation and place them in Nigeria, within a couple of years, there's a 70% chance that they would become just like “us.”
According to a recent global ranking, Nigeria is rated as the second most corrupt country in the world, second only to Afghanistan! And that is all but true. However, before you go ahead to crucify ordinary Nigerians, first put the blame on our history, social culture, family structure, educational system, and political environment. There is something in the very air we breathe that just breeds corruption! To quote Brian Klaas once again: “Good people in badly designed systems may still give in to darker impulses.”
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