We inhabit a world that requires the reins of leadership in every sector, such as business, education, family system and certainly, nations and organisations. Certainly, from the beginning of time, mankind was subjected to the possession of power by a selected few in practically all aspects of life. The implication being that people embodying charismatic and leadership abilities get positioned to take charge and spearhead the necessary activities of a society. While one would expect that those in power in a nation, either appointed, selected or elected should best serve the interests of the people, especially in a fully democratic society, this might as well not be the case.
Through the course of history, there have been several scenarios of misusing the given public power and privilege for their personal interest rather than the interest of all who are involved. Acts that some consider unspeakable, acts that are mild, acts that are acceptable to only a select few, and acts that are inconspicuous and hidden, are all still perceived to be found under a shade of political corruption.
As defined by Wikipedia, Political corruption refers to the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. In other words, Corruption can be seen as the dishonest use of power to achieve one’s personal agenda, especially with power entrusted to the public. In Nigeria, one of the prominent forms of political corruption is embezzlement, though the forms may vary across regions of the world. However, before diving deeply into political corruption as a whole, the spotlight should also be shed on the true root of political corruption; Corruption itself.
A philosopher will be tempted to agree that corruption is inborn in human beings and though interpreted in multiple ways, it does not change the substantial harm it constitutes to a society. Corruption is not only limited to those inclined to politics because an average citizen, in one way or the other, can be involved in any of the forms. It is also seen that corruption does cut across from the government to the citizens. Instances include Zambia where the predominant form of corruption is trivial and administrative corruption and Kenya where it is evident in bribery and nepotism.
Other observed instances are Uganda where corruption is expressed in the grand-scale theft of public funds and widespread political patronage systems while in the Middle East, bribery known as Baksheesh is largely prevalent. Other forms of corruption include petty bribery, money laundering schemes, withholding the salaries of workers and sweeping criminal acts under the carpet.
Despite the various forms, corruption in politics is regarded as the highest degree of corruption, because it is the ultimate threat to democracy and the expression of one’s fundamental human rights. Arguably, these actions may be erroneously viewed as being done to attain political control, which is a means to ensure compliance from citizens; nevertheless, the alarming implications on the society are undeniably evident from every single perspective.
Recently, Argentina’s president, Javier Millei proposed a reform bill to the Congress in the interests of the people and the economy of Argentina; a bill which is intended to cause significant changes in the fiscal policies, electoral-related laws and administrative debt management. This bill contains 664 articles spanning across privatization of 41 companies, the elimination of the presidential primary vote and the introduction of a 15% tax on the majority of exports.
What led to a controversy in this reform bill is its call to cede some legislative power to the presidency until December 31st, 2025, with an option of extending it two (2) years further. The grave repercussion of this is quite tremendous as an unequivocal division of power among the different bodies of government will exist, giving the presidency more power to make decisions and override certain verdicts. Another baffling aspect of this is the proposed extension of this bill would fall on December 2027, the exact period his tenure would end. One must go on to wonder about the private agenda that will be achieved during this time, knowing also that this will be the first of its kind in Argentina. Moreover, one more inclusion in this bill is the restrictions that will be placed on protests and roadblocks, increasing the legal penalties that will be imposed on them. What better way to eliminate peaceful protests and restrict the expression of one’s right to freedom of speech?
In addition to this, the recent political saga in Nigeria can be cited as well. The topic of the day revolves around the recent removal of numerous personnel on board, with rumours suggesting that these actions were solely instigated by the President, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Beyond this, a lot of questionable decisions that may or not be detrimental to the well-being of an average Nigerian prompting skepticism about the sincerity of his approach to aiding and presiding over Nigeria. Likewise, as one takes a tour through history, a pattern is studied and it becomes clear that those in power have seemed to have unnaturally adopted the characteristics of political corruption in diverse shapes and forms. Ranging from ancient Egypt, the Roman Empire, ancient Greece and even the Chinese Dynasty, there have been narrations and proofs of this cantankerous activity.
Furthermore, the university system shows significant displays of this as well as the student union governments across the nation. Gradually, the SUGs are becoming a breeding ground for looting and corruption with misappropriation of funds, criminal activities, nepotism and special privileges that are borne from selfish motives. Some reports show that those in these places of authority go as far as antagonizing and eliminating those who are not of like paths as they are, completely impeaching the executives to slot in their preferences. They inflate the budget and financial reports of their spending while diverting funds for their personal gain, downplaying the opinions of the students and disregarding the welfare of the students, amongst many others.
Correspondingly, Lord Achton in a letter he wrote to Bishop Mandell in 1887 said, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, pointing to the fact that indeed power is an element that causes corruption, besides human nature which is keen to it. Nevertheless, one important understanding is that everyone has power somewhat, some more than the other but in spite, all of humanity has power in one aspect of the other. Moreover, there is a greater tendency to misuse power that is in abundance.
This showcases the need for politicians and those in authority to be kept in check and for adequate monitoring. Certainly, it is vital that the people speak up and defend what is right. Regardless of being prone towards corruption, the right decisions must always be made, especially those that are in the best interest of the majority; for power is not to be misused but handled appropriately.
OBAFEMI AWOLOWO HALL PRESS 
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