Shaming the shameless!
The stupendous amounts stolen by Federal Ministers in Jonathan’s government; the enormous non-performing loans in our banking system; and the N4 billion fees being owed the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) by 19 state governors for candidates who for sat exams under their ‘free education” policy, have dominated the news recently. In an attempt to […]
The stupendous amounts stolen by Federal Ministers in Jonathan’s government; the enormous non-performing loans in our banking system; and the N4 billion fees being owed the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) by 19 state governors for candidates who for sat exams under their ‘free education” policy, have dominated the news recently. In an attempt to collect these funds the various authorities responsible have adopted a so called “name and shame” approach.
While the Federal Government threatens to publish names of ministers who benefitted from oil theft and the Central Bank names of major debtors to commercial banks, WAEC threatens to withhold the results of affected candidates. This approach has one fundamental flaw – it presupposes that those responsible can be shamed. Charles Darwin in his book The Expressions of the Emotion in Man and Animals described shame as consisting of confusion of the mind, downward cast eyes, slack posture and a lowered head. It’s a condition of embarrassment, dishonour, disgrace, inadequacy, and humiliation. None of these traits applies to those involved in these national scandals. The dictionary definition of shame is “a painful feeling arising from the consciousness that a person has done something dishonourable, improper, or ridiculous”. None of those responsible for these scandals feels that they have done anything wrong because in truth stealing or owing is the modern Nigerian route to riches. Shame is supposed to result from exposing a person’s actions or condition in a negative manner such that they develop a reputation as charlatans. Paradoxically our society doesn’t evaluate charlatans negatively; on the contrary we respect those with ostentatious lifestyles. What shame can possibly be attached to turning up in court immaculately dressed with expensive jewelleries and chauffeured in a luxury jeep accompanied by unprincipled Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) ready to defend your sleaze? The real shame in Nigeria today is the shame of poverty, of begging in the streets due to a lack of a social safety net, or not being able to meet financial obligations despite being an honest hard working citizen. Today’s shame is that of being reduced to hardship by a sinking economy.
Our national experience with high-profile lifestyles of Mohammed Abacha, Dieprieye Alamesiegha, Bode George, Stella Oduah, Tafa Balogun, Lucky Igbinedion, Celia Ibru, Justice Abubakar Talba, Alhaji Abdulrasheed Maina, and many other fraudulent or convicted former public office holders, bank chief executives and contractors provides overwhelming evidence that in Nigeria shame is the attitude with associate with the poor. Even our past pot-bellied Service Chiefs, who we all know, performed woefully against Boko Haram, feel no shame. Gone are the days when good name meant more than money. Today it’s the reverse. In nations where the elites are decent people they act with modesty humility, and deference while maintaining a sense of restraint against offending others. Our elites lack any such restraint and act in a manner that is full of excessive pride and hubris. Nigerian political office holders in particular are narcissistic, egoistic and egocentric. They lavishly “spray” N1,000 notes at social functions, are escorted everywhere by siren blowing gun toting police, and generally make a public nuisance of themselves.
Narcissism originates from Greek mythology where a young man names Narcissus fell in love with his reflection in a pool of water, and refers to extreme vanity. Egoistic people admire their own attributes, while egocentrics believe they must always be the centre of attention. Disappointingly the majority of Nigerians fawn over them. Even when convicted our elite feel no guilt about what they have done. It’s widely expected that whenever jailed former Governor James Ibori is freed from prison in England, he will receive a rapturous reception and be quickly reintegrated into Delta State politics. There is a clear dividing line between shame and guilt. In shame the focus is on personality while in guilt the focus is on the action taken. A shamed person is bad person, while a guilty person may be a good person who has simply done something bad. Given that the individuals responsible for these financial scandals are devoid of personal values or standards, there is little chance that revelations about past inappropriate activities would make them feel ashamed or guilty about anything. The truth is that when all the hullaballoo is over, the Federal Minister who allegedly stole over $6 billion will continue to live a life of luxury and be accorded all privileges and protocol guarded by our “for-hire” police force. Since such people are immune to shame the only option left open to the long suffering general public is to embarrass and humiliate them. Shame doesn’t necessarily involve being demeaned in public while embarrassment and humiliation does.
There is a growing body of opinion that those guilty of financial crimes should be paraded naked through the streets. Apart from the fact that the “name and shame’ policy is unlikely to yield positive results, there is no reason why the three issues should be regarded as requiring a similar approach. As far as former ministers are concerned theirs is a case of theft and abuse of office. The WAEC matter is disgraceful because the examination body is not a solely Nigerian organization; it’s a case of governors habitually failing to meet their obligations. As for those who owe the banks, there is nothing wrong with that. Bank loans are supposed to be secured, so if the banks gave out unsecured funds it’s their problem not their customer’s. As we say in local parlance “Na borrow dem borrow, no be thief dem thief”!