THE INDISPENSABILITY OF SERVICE AND THE GREASE OF HUMILITY IN A CORRUPT ENTITY By AKINTAYO ADEOLA RACHEL

            In this 21st century that we live in presently, corruption isn't a new thing to be heard of. A lot has been said about corruption over the years however, for a broader explanation, we will go through what corruption is.

Corruption is an act or form in which a criminal offence is undertaken by a person or an organization in which they are being intrusted or confided with a position of authority to acquire illegitimate benefit or abuse of power for the persons or organization's private gain in simple sentence '' the abuse of entrusted power for personal gain''. In other words, corruption is a form of dishonesty in order for an individual's selfish desires to be fulfilled. Corruption ranges from small favours such as getting it from a petty corruption of a set of small number of people to a grand style of corruption in which a large scale of people such as the government.

Some of the main reasons that corruption exists is the fact that they are in need, greed and want to make the best use of the opportunity for the moment. What distinguishes the need, greed and opportunity of corruption would be used based on the following scenarios.

For Need: Most Nigeria youth who are desperate to get admission into a tertiary institution are some times hindered from getting admission mostly because they have low cut off marks in their exams but based on desperation they tend to bribe their way into a tertiary institution. This is one of the most common corrupt acts in Nigeria.

For Greed: Some persons actually go into corruption because they want to satisfy their greed. Strong condemnation is generally reserved for those who exploit the supposed position they occupy for the moment on a grand scale and secretly take large sums of money for their personal gain. For example, fraud.

For Opportunity: Corruption occurs when those who have the needs and greeds have an opportunity to partake in such activities. They are drowning in a have all, possess all mentality that has become an endless orgy of spend and gain. Position and power have become keys to accessing resources meant for the general good and converting them for private good.

As followers and leaders, we often face challenges in reaching our goals that could entice us to compromise our integrity and damage our reputation. The truth is that doing the right thing will always give you the results you want. It may take longer this way, but you will succeed and keep your reputation on the road. This example sets for those who follow us and builds confidence in their leadership. Dont be quick to minimize the value of doing what you should in the small things; they make it easier to live out your standards in the big things.

Martin Luther King once said, If we dont stand for something, we fall for anything. Taking a stand can be hard when so many are counting on you, and so much is riding on your actions. Make sure you surround yourself with others who have faced tough decisions and made hard choices before. By the way, make sure that those you let into this inner circle, model the same character and integrity that you do, otherwise the input you get in hard times can actually make things worse. Listen to their wise counsel and get support for the decisions you make, you'll need it. It takes great integrity and humility to be able to abstain from corruption. We all say corruption can be eradicated and removed from the Nigeria system by changing the top man in power but I say corruption can never be eradicated from the Nigeria system but if only we start with the change within us and stand for what is right, true and just. like the phrase goes '' to thyself be true''.

ABOUT THE WRITER

AKINTAYO ADEOLA RACHEL

OS/19B/0508