By Akol Arop Akol
One of the injustices that almost every leader is accused of is corruption. Young nations that are still under developing are ranked as leading in misuse of public funds.
Some corrupt leaders with powers are always the suspects when it comes to the thing called corruption. And Africa being the Continent with many countries having not only greedy leaders for wealth and power, it is also has dictators, those who want to rule for a life and even plan to extend the authority to their children such that royal family life’s standard goes on at least for decades. Now that it has been an issue which activists and artists are composing songs and articles about, the children are born into poverty because the resources are already embezzled by early owls. And the first words they hear when learning to talk are “corruption, crisis and hunger.” So today in most African countries and South Sudan for example, young children are distracted from their studies because of the poor economy. A young girl who might have learned something in class would just get disappointed at bus park when a conductor would say fares is increased from 150 to 300 SSP and no complaint, she has to go footing and thinking how to finish school soon to graduate and at least get a job to make her own money but another worry lies ahead, though she finishes later, there would be no jobs as there is corruption and nepotism. This scenario sticks in minds of young generation, and whenever they fail to get scholarship, jobs and other opportunities they come to conclusion that corruption is the root cause. But do they even understand what’s it? Well, this article has the definitions and examples of what’s considered as corruption.
1. Nepotism: When someone in public office and happens to shortlist only relatives or tribe mates for a certain job opportunities while discriminating the rest because of being different, that’s corruption. People should be fairly treated and given opportunities depending on their qualities, skills and academic qualifications.
2. High charge for services: In the middle of crisis many people especially those doing tend to prioritize profit rather than providing services with value to people and authorities ask for tax, this is corruption.
3.God says one man with one woman, but the Africa traditional society view it that having more women is wealth and still source of wealth. In villages those years someone who was able to marry more women was a rich man with large herd of cattle or a lot of crops. They thought and believed that more women and many children would help in source of labor, that’s woman cultivating, children looking after goats and chickens while elder brothers and sisters were tasked to look after cattle in grasslands.
Nowadays is different as someone who has no cattle or crops in villages, has no even bank account leave alone business would just marry 3 women in the 3 years of working in a public offices. That’s a pure corruption.
4. Greediness: Someone who wants more through his or her own sweat could be described a person with ego, but someone who needs to get rich through people’s belonging is called greedy. When leaders fight because of power and natural resources, that’s Greediness which is the driver of corruption.
5. When a people or school administrations get students fees and use it for only their good instead of building a conducive environment for learning including library, laboratory and recreational facilities, that’s corruption.
6. When the leaders are driving expensive cars and sleeping in luxurious hotels using country money while the citizens are starving from poverty, that’s corruption.
This Motivational Writer is advocating for peace, Youth Empowerment and education. Reach him on email: akolarop211@gmail.com