Fear of poverty cause of bribery and corruption

Almost 50 percent of Nigerians live in abject poverty. We have homeless children and even adults, who live under bridges and slums. This situation exposes them to dangers that they would not be exposed to if they had homes. Therefore, the should be provision for orphans, the homeless people and persons who cannot provide for […]

Almost 50 percent of Nigerians live in abject poverty. We have homeless children and even adults, who live under bridges and slums. This situation exposes them to dangers that they would not be exposed to if they had homes.

Therefore, the should be provision for orphans, the homeless people and persons who cannot provide for themselves by government.

Greedy politicians and incompetent officials have embezzled money beyond the imagination of Nigerians. Even graduates find it hard to secure jobs, when they finally do; they get jobs that do not pay well. Bribery and corruption are products of poverty and the fear of poverty. The poverty in the land is so bad that a token of N500 is deeply and sincerely appreciated by people who live in poverty. I experienced this, I am not speaking based on hearsay. I visited a village in Kebbi State and needed to buy food items. The trader did not have change of N400 to give me, so I had no choice but to leave the change. She thanked me, knelt down and prayed for me. This encounter opened my eyes to the plight of most Nigerians and how poverty had eaten deep into the society.

Poverty has increased the crime rate in Nigeria. Kidnappers, armed robbers, buglers, drug peddlers, human traffickers and fraudsters have been forced into a world of crime. If adequate and well-paying jobs were to be made available, the crime rate would have reduced drastically.

If the government cannot help its citizens, well-to-do Nigerians can. If rich Nigerians start building world class hospitals all over the country that would improve our healthcare system, it will certainly reduce the mortality rate in Nigeria. Functional orphanages can also be built to help rescue homeless children from the streets. The rich and influential people can also build factories that will improve the economy of Nigeria and also provide jobs. This will be a win win situation for all. Let us join hands to make Nigeria great again.

Tiwatade Adetomiwa wrote in from Ebute Metta, Lagos.