The Association of Seadogs, Pyrate Confraternity, has expressed concern over a spate of corruption in Nigeria.
This is because it describes corruption as an unfortunate phenomenon and a danger that poses a lethal threat to human integrity.
It said virtually all the countries in the world are having their own share of this endangering vice.
The confraternity said, “Little wonder, it has been tagged to be ‘normal’ in daily engagements with others, such that it is often adopted in the race to achieve a wealthy livelihood.
“It is a phenomenon that has a colossal negative impact on the social, political, and economic stability of a nation, a menace that is living and growing uncontrollably within the human community and, if not curbed, would completely destroy the humanitarian and empathetic features in human beings, hence the birth of the ‘International Anti-Corruption Day.
Pyrate Confraternity said it respected International Anti-Corruption Day, which is observed and celebrated on December 9 every year, saying, “It is to remind the globe of the responsibility of curtailing it and also to raise awareness among the general public on the impact of the prevailing insanity in many countries as well as raise concern on the destructive effects of corruption on the growth of society at large.”.
It said it was as a result of this that the Abeokuta Chapter of the Association, alongside the Canada Chapter, organised a television programme to commemorate International Anti-Corruption Day.
Speaking at the programme, which was aired on Ogun State Television (OGTV), Abeokuta, two discussants, Mr Adeyemi Akintunde, a veteran Journalist and Comrade Yinka Folarin, Executive Director, Human Rights and Grassroot Development Society,
The duo were invited to speak on the malpractice that has eaten deep into the lives of human beings.
Speaking during the programme, Akintunde said that the issue is not peculiar to Nigeria but prevalent all over the world.
According to him, ‘’Corruption is complex in nature and is a social, political, and economic phenomenon that has contributed to our governmental instability’’.
He said these vices have really dealt with people immensely, saying, for instance, that it is evident in the health sector, where numerous untimely deaths of citizens are recorded.
Folarin equally condemned the act of corruption and also reiterated that the health sector is porous with corruptible representatives who do not take human lives seriously.
He said that these unscrupulous people tend to manage wealth that is needless in the first place.
According to him, ‘’We will have a human rights-respecting society if we are able to eradicate corruption in our lives.
As a result of corruption, the lives of the people are being threatened and trampled upon. In the health sector, ‘’When they steal what belongs to the entire population, what do we use to equip our health facilities? Which apparently means the lives of the people are threatened.
“Corruption will entail denying people their rights at all levels of engagement, denying them a good livelihood, denying them the right to a good education, denying them affordable and accessible access to good health care, and many more,” he explained.
In conclusion, he said it is paramount and, as a matter of acceleration, that “we all must ensure that this menace does not hamper the existence of a sane environment, and as such, we all have important roles to play in kicking it out of our mental state of reasoning by fastening our seat belts and gearing ourselves towards a better and a free-of-corruption future.”