CORRUPTION

Africans cry for help

God please provide for its faithful

African’s faithful are fed up

No! It should not be

The tomorrow futures are useless

They cannot be called to order again

Our land is full of immoral

The sun has changed her colour

The air is crying for help

The land is vomiting her curses

Oh! God come for our aid

Our youths are naked

Thinking is black

Institutions are scaring

Our youth are perishing

To you we pray

Oh! God help us

Written by: Onyia Emeka Harford

DESCRIPTION: The poem titled Corruption is an African set up, using Nigeria as a case study it depicts the plight of indiscipline and environmental hazards in the society which tends to ravish the economical, political and educational sector of the country.

It escalate from institutions to other sectors of the economy which tends to affect the quality of graduates in the nations because the development of a nation depends on the quality of educational products of it citizens. This poem calls for attention to educational sector especially the tertiary and universities in the country. Because if corruption can be curbing in this sector, I think other sectors will inherit the difference.

From line 1-4:  The poet begins with the good citizens of the Nation which he attributes as the faithful ones who are keeping to the rules and regulation governing the nation. These faithful ones are the upright in the society who are striving hard to make a difference in their society but to no avail because of corruption, which has affected every sector of the economy. Like before you can pass your exams in the higher institution, you must sort the lecturers with money to pass your exams. And these faithful ones that are honest will burn the mid night candle to read for their courses and at the end of the day. The lecturer will score them below standard just to get money for upgrading of result. And as a result, a lot of them are fed up in reading and burning midnight candles only to end up scoring before standard while those that did not study or read are making distinction with their money. This is how the faithful are discouraged in the educational sector.

In banking sector, before anybody gets a Job, especially females, you must sleep with your interviewer to get approved, no matter how eloquent, decent, credibility and excellent result you acquired. This is the rule of the game. And for men you have to pay money in cash in to your interviewer account to be approved, even when you are not sure of the Job.

In government work like civil service commission the faithful are placed as the assistant leaders who carry the whole burden of the institution, because of the how intelligent they are, most these secretaries and office assistant are Polytechnics Graduates that are well educated but because of their qualification they are made subordinates to some bad eggs that came out with BSC. Holders who will delegate the whole duties to subordinate all in the name of acting MD, Director, Manager etc. thereby seeking the advice of the subordinates to execute their duty, and as subordinates denying them their due promotion  by refusing to recommend them for their effort and more collect the fattest salary even as a ghost worker. The faithful also that act as subordinates are denied leave and courses to enhance the government work because of the benefits and allowances, these goes only to the bad eggs that claim superiors in office who at the end of the day will embezzles public fund with pen and paper to the detriment of Assistant who he will shift the whole blame of the loss the government office, even some subordinates are sacked along with the Superiors for an offense he did not commits.

Now the poet are saying that these faithful ones in the society are fed up with these experiences, and as a result some has resigned their work to business, so that they can realize every effort they put into their career at the end of the day. And the poet also let us to know that these things should not be like that; that government has to restructure things.

From line 4-8:  The poet continues to let us know that the future leaders of our society in this nation are useless because of the effect of these standards. Some girls in the higher institution has changed academics ground to prostitution ground, look at student of tertiary institutions standing on the road sides in the night as prostitutes just to make money that they will give their lecturers to pass exam, now prostitution has exchanged academics. This is a serious call for attention in the tertiary institutions because lecturers are the perpetrators of this act; I personally have been victimized in the school for not obeying the rule of the game which is sorting to upgrade and sorting to pass. Someone that did not read for a course will use N5000.00 to make an alpha which the person that suffered has not attained half of it, this is corruption to the core. The effect also had made some student to join secret cult in the school, and to use those means to threaten the lecturers indirectly who out of fear sometimes dance to the tune of notorious cultist in the school.

And the poet let us to understand that these situations of things have gotten out of control, that these bad eggs cannot be corrected any longer. And that the rate of immoral act that leads to abortion of babies due to illicit sex in the society is alarming and as a result the sun has changed her colour due God’s anger which is also a figure of speech known as personification.

From line 9-12:  The poet continues to let us know that the air is no more fresh that it is blowing hot as a result of pollution in the land, and the land is mourning as well as vomiting curses, here the poet tries to use the figure of speech personification which means to attributes human quality to nature which are inanimate object taking the quality of man that is animate example is “the land vomiting her curses” and “The air is vomiting her curses”. The poet also called on God to come and intervene before these curses will exterminate mankind.

The poet continues to point at the shabbily dressing of young girls and women that exposes their nakedness in the sector of the economy, especially in the tertiary institution. Where they wear seductive attires that encourage rape in the society?

From line 13-16:  The poet continues to say that these act has polluted the right thinking of our youth to see thing the other way round. That you cannot pass exam unless you sort, now their attitudes and perspective to learning has changed to money solves the problem. And you cannot get a Job as a female graduate unless you pay with kind or in cash. You choose one before the offer; even after the offer you are not sure of retaining the Job. Now, the poet continue to ask that God to intervene in this hard situation of things due to corruptions.

WRITER/PUBLISHER: ONYIA EMEKA HARFORD

CONTACT: +2348186388641