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We're all corrupt now
Dotun Adebayo argues that the News Of The World hacking scandal has marred us all
Written by Dotun-Adebayo
01/08/2011 05:00 PM

ESLER: Sarcastic comments about Nigerians and
corruption

FOR CENTURIES, Britain has conned the world into thinking that its hands are whiter than white and that its bobbies were incorruptible.

Well, as Jamaican reggae singers say, “t'ings ah come up to bump" and now the whole world knows that British politicians, coppers and the media are as corrupt as they are anywhere else.

Thanks to Murdoch and the News Of The World the corrupt nature of British society has been exposed.

However, there are still one or two people who are clinging on to the “at least we're not as corrupt as Nigerians" mentality. My BBC colleague Gavin Esler is one such.

For years the world has been led to believe that Nigerians owned the copyright to corruption. That corruption was something intrinsic to the Nigerian narture. That we couldn't be trusted, particularly not with any aid money or oil revenues.

This reputation for dishonesty has permeated into every day life so much so that even today in this very country Nigerians are unable to find work in positions of trust because of the mistaken belief that if you or your foreparents were born within the sounds of Lagos bells you couldn't be trusted as far as someone could spit you.

Even a posh git like my cousin, with all the degrees you could hope to get, got a job in a shoe shop in London's hip King's Road, and can you believe it! - he wasn’t allowed to go anywhere near the till even though he was the manager!

So you see, we Nigerians have lived with the stigma of corruption all these years and have had to grin and bear it and have our potential limited in this country just because of our heritage.

LEVELLED

Now, though, the playing field has been levelled and it's time for those of British heritage to suffer the same slings and arrows of suspicion and be barred from the job of cashier at supermarkets.

The likes of Gavin Esler are clinging tooth and nail to the old belief that however bad things are here they're worse in Nigeria.

He was presenting BBC2's Newsnight the other evening as the Prime Minister was in South Africa before travelling to a trade meeting with the Nigerian President (to see how many duff goods from over here he can flog to Africa to ensure British jobs over here.)

BURNING

Meanwhile, Rome it seemed was burning back home in Britain. Esler couldn't help asking sarcastically whether the embattled British Prime Minister was going to Nigeria to learn how fight corruption from the Nigerian President.

I shouldn't have expected better from him but I did. It might have raised a laugh the night before. But now that we all know that British politicians are corrupt too, he might want to ask whether Nigerian politicians learned it from their former colonial masters in the first place.

Know your history, fool.

Your Voice

Comments

BUt I thought that the

Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

BUt I thought that the Nigerian President HAS been trying to deal with endemic Nigerian corruption and had specifically called on all Nigerians to help by bringing it to an end...

In which case how is Gavin Esler to blame for that? (Although in fairness I didnt see that particular program)

Nigerian society IS corrupt.

I really don't see how trying to do the 'your corruption is bigger than ours' game helps anyone ANYWHERE - least of all those poor people in both Nigeria and the UK who cannot afford to put bungs in people's pockets to smooth their own life path.

Rather than doing the blame game why don't you do an article raising awareness of the problem itself? I think that would be far healthier....

And ending on 'Know your history, fool' just smacks of stupidity. Of COURSE Nigeria (like many other post colonial countries) learnt their corruption from their colonial masters. This was a standard divide and conquer technique used by many invaders throughout history. But that doesn't stop it though does it...
And its POOR people who bear the brunt of it wherever it raises its ugly head...

I don't for one minute believe that Gavin Esler is so stupid as to not understand the historic roots of corruption - after all its STILL a technique being used by the West to control other countries by weakening them with the temptation of personal gain. Just the same as Murdoch has been using to manipulate UK, US and Australian Politicians, Police and Public throughout his own reign.

Sat, 2011-09-10 19:45

Hi

Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

It's nice to see comments about Nigerians keeping the West Indians out of jobs.The slave master will be having a fun filled day.It's the same old story black Vs black no concrete or sensible argument.Read the article,he is not saying that Nigeria as a country is not corrupt but corruption is a global plague.

Thu, 2011-08-18 09:49

Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha I am

Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
I am wiping my eyes here at your desperate attempt to equate Nigerian corruption with the level in the UK.
What drivel. Badly written drivel too. Do they pay you for this stuff?

Tue, 2011-08-09 06:33

My heart bleeds for you, I

Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

My heart bleeds for you, I don't think! Makes a difference from you people decrying West Indians everywhere you go and keeping THEM out of jobs and everything else. I'm delighted that some one does it to you.

And your such a liar, they're Africans working in every field in this country and making sure they keep West Indians out.

Sat, 2011-08-06 05:43

Nice one bro , British left a

Anonymous's picture
Anonymous

Nice one bro , British left a legacy of corruption in Nigeria.Now in Nigeria the Abused became worse than the abuser . Essler is right though , Corruption is waived into Nigerian culture . you can see the effect in the nigerian communities around the world , i don't think we should deny it, it makes it worst . At least in Britain the corrupts ones are caught and exposed no matter out powerful and rich they are ..if that hacking thing happened in Nigeria , it will be buried and covered up .

Thu, 2011-08-04 10:07
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