Grease or Poison: The Giving That Kills a Nation
You are driving down a street one early morning, just up ahead you notice some uniformed men checking people’s vehicles, you are not sure what they are checking but most cars that stop are asked to go on ahead almost immediately, you wonder if they are actually checking anything, but you also notice that some few vehicles are asked to park to the side of the road with about 2 or 3 personnel having some discussions with the driver. You keep on pondering until you are about some few feet away from the checkpoint and one of the officers raises his hand asking you to stop, he walks over to your window, greets you then ask you for your license, just then you remember you left your license at home in one of your jean pockets, you try to explain even though you know you have just made a terrible error, you will probably be fined, but then the officer asks, what do you have for the boys? you wonder what that means but after some few seconds, it clicked. What do you do? Am sure most of us have all been in this situation before, what have you done? did you give to the boys, or did the right thing and collected the Remita and paid the fine to the designated government account for negligence, am sure most opted for the former, nobody wants to go through the hassle of filling forms and wasting so much time in some personnel's office, and what will shaking an officer while neatly pressing a one thousand naira note do? You just want to get to your destination on time, and hey! almost everyone does this anyways. Well these is how most of us feel, but am sure almost all of us have never cared to ask what that act of giving actually does to our beloved country.
When asked what is the reason Nigeria is struggling, almost every regular civilian will say corruption amongst the politicians, or conspiracies such as the west, or China or Russia sabotaging our attempts at development to keep taping resources from us, almost no one looks at what he/she is contributing to this sorry state, I guess self accountability is lacking. In this article I will be pointing fingers at myself and at any regular Nigerian because BRIBERY is definitely that small thing we all do and its that big thing that is absolutely destroying our attempts at development.
In many African countries, especially Nigeria, the word “bribe” no longer carries the weight of shame it once did. What used to be a backdoor tactic for the desperate has evolved into a normalized exchange — so routine, so accepted, that it now quietly poisons the very soul of our nation. But what if we told you that bribery isn’t just corruption — it’s a slow, intentional form of national suicide?
Bribery: The Hidden Culture of Convenience
Bribery today isn’t just the work of high-ranking officials or greedy politicians. It has become part of our daily fabric. A ₦500 “appreciation” at the police checkpoint to avoid unnecessary delays. A ₦2,000 tip to a hospital staff so your loved one gets “seen fast.” A brown envelope slid to a lecturer or exam official. What we call “settling” or “mobilization” is often a euphemism for institutional rot.
We have accepted bribery not as an offense, but as a shortcut to comfort. The danger? Every bribe, no matter how small, is a seed of injustice.
The Domino Effect: When Small Bribes Kill
One act of bribery sets off a chain reaction. When you bribe a licensing officer to skip your driving test, you put a potential killer on the road. When a contractor bribes to win a government project, they cut corners to make profit — leading to collapsing buildings and lost lives. When exam officials accept bribes for grades, we graduate unqualified doctors, lawyers, and engineers.
Bribery is never isolated. It spreads like a virus, touching every institution. And in time, corruption stops being something that happens to us — it becomes who we are.
Real Stories, Real Death
In 2014, a building collapsed in Lagos due to structural defects. Investigations revealed permits were issued without proper inspections — paid for in bribes. In Kano, a woman lost her child because her family couldn’t afford to “tip” nurses to act fast. In Anambra, a man spent 8 years in jail for a crime he didn’t commit — meanwhile, the guilty walked free because his family could pay.
Get Muhammad Bandeji Muhammad’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
These are not stories from the movies. These are real outcomes of real bribes.
Bribery is National Suicide
Let’s be clear: bribery kills potential.
- It discourages hard work.
- It discredits meritocracy.
- It displaces honesty.
- It drives away foreign investors who fear unstable systems.
Young people leave the country because the system doesn’t reward fairness — it rewards who you know and how much you’re willing to pay. When the foundation of justice and fairness is removed, what remains is chaos disguised as governance.
Why We Must Say No
Fighting bribery starts with the citizen, not the system. The system is a reflection of the people within it. Every time we refuse to pay a bribe, we resist the destruction of our nation. It takes courage, yes. It might cost us time, discomfort, or convenience — but it preserves integrity.
Imagine a nation where everyone earned their spot — where the roads don’t kill, hospitals don’t ignore, and schools don’t produce unqualified graduates. That dream starts with you.
A Tale of Two Nations: France and Japan vs Africa
In countries like Japan or Finland, bribery is alien. Public servants are trained, paid well, and held accountable. Citizens wouldn’t dare. That’s why their systems work. Africa cannot progress with a bribe-first mindset. We will continue to bury our dreams in brown envelopes.
Conclusion: We Must Rise Above the Envelope
Bribery isn’t just an illegal act. It is an attack on our future. It is the reason behind failed hospitals, insecure roads, unemployed youth, and broken justice systems.
We must stop romanticizing corruption in our songs, movies, and jokes. We must teach our children that honesty isn’t foolish — it is revolutionary.
Bribery kills. Integrity heals.
The next time someone demands a bribe or you’re tempted to offer one, remember: you’re not just buying your way out — you might be buying the death of a nation.
