In Nigeria, there are laws that prohibit corruption and or corrupt practices in and where the issue of corruption is mentioned, the first law that comes to mind is the ‘Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related offences Act, 2000 (now 2004). Under this Act, ‘corruption’ is defined to include bribery, fraud and other related offences’.

This paper is an attempt at informing the public and the appropriate authorities combating corruption and corrupt practices of the new dimension of corruption in Nigeria, which has become widely spreading among office holders both public and private and has almost become the custom and or convention. And those who carry out the practice do not see anything wrong in it to such an extent that almost everyone has become a victim.

It is very important to note that changing the name of ‘corruption’ to ‘appreciation’ does not remove the act from being a form of corruption. The act is very worst and embarrassing to such an extent that whenever the person who demands for the appreciation is not offered and or there is delay in offering the appreciation, the victim is embarrassed even publicly. It is surprising and shocking that this corruption has eaten deep into the heart of almost everyone today and no one almost considers it as corruption and perhaps, because there is a defence, so that whenever the suspect is caught then he raises the defence that he never performed any corruption rather, what he received is just appreciation. The question is: why the need for appreciation in an official duty? Why must you demand and or request for appreciation either before and or after the performance of the normal official duty? As a result of this corrupt act, contracts are not awarded to the best who is qualified but to the one who can offer appreciation in advance and or upon agreement or undertaking that he would remit certain amount of money to the benefactor, employment are not made available on merit but to the one who can show appreciation! Official duties are not carried out unless you offer appreciation.

Most surprisingly, the act as a form of corruption kills the system. You can imagine where one is required to show appreciation with twenty thousand, fifty thousand, five million, either in naira or in dollars or in any currency, etc. and where anything less than the requested amount or material is offered, such is rejected and is considered as embarrassment to the  benefactor and an act of ungratefulness. The writer of this paper has experienced some of these situations at some quarters, both public and private. He has several petitions with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission- herein after referred to as ICPC-, written by himself, some of which have been investigated, while some of the perpetrators have refunded the share illegally received and some are pending as no communications have been received from ICPC. The writer of this paper hereby calls on ICPC to put in more efforts in the prevention of this corruption without any fear or favour. That is why everyone should know henceforth that demanding of appreciation on duty and offering any such appreciation in whatever form either in money or in kind is corruption to which both the offeror and the offeree can be held liable criminally. Therefore, everyone must try his best to desist and refuse to be extorted and or exploited by anyone and to know his right that anyone that one meets in an office is there to perform some certain duties for which he is paid. Furthermore, where anyone demands and or offers any such appreciation, such can be rejected and evidence might be kept against such perpetrator.

Security agencies too have their own share of this menace. A police officer once demanded the sum of five million naira from one of the Clients of the writer of this paper at that time and detained his (the Client’s) vehicle which had no connection with the alleged offence and the police officer later conceded to receive the sum of four hundred thousand naira only of which he has already received the sum of hundred thousand naira only and the writer of this paper’s Client was intimidated to pay the balance until the vehicle will be released. It was at that stage that the services of the writer of this paper was engaged into the matter. The matter got to the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Abuja. At the long run, some forms of compromise were almost to be reached in order to settle the issues illegally and with the condition that the Client will have to show appreciation to one ‘oga’, the situation which compelled the writer of this paper to withdraw from such case, ethically and professionally.

However, before then, it took the intervention of the office of the Commissioner of Police FCT-Abuja before the Divisional Police Officer released the vehicle at no cost as a result of the writer of this paper’s petition. The writer of this paper wrote petitions to the Attorney-General of the Federation, the ICPC, etc but surprisingly, the writer of this paper still does not understand the reason why there was no correspondence upon the petition and there was a counter-petition that the writer of this paper also wrote in respect of the matter but up till this moment, there has been no response. Why this story is told is to checkmate the appropriate authority in the way and manner it responds to petitions against corruption. It is submitted that such functions must be performed with all senses of transparency.

It is further suggested that all institutions, public or private should try as much as possible to provide a CCTV Camera in all offices which is monitored by the person with the adequate knowledge and not the one who will or has offered appreciation without qualifiction. The writer of this paper had such an experience in one general hospital where CCTV Camera was installed. The staff that wanted to extort the writer of this paper did not know that he is a lawyer and understood all his (the staff’s) corrupt moves. The staff was cautioning the writer of this paper to use style to offer him the official money because there is a CCTV camera and that moneys are not collected handy but paid to banks. After he was done with his own corrupt practices, the writer of this paper demanded for receipt on the ground that the money was paid from office account and office will request for receipt for accountability. The staff was compelled to release the money to the writer of this paper for him to pay through the official cashier and to receive receipt.

It must be understood that issue of appreciation in official duty is a form of gratification under the ICPC Act and relevant sections of the Act have made such an act as an offence, either personally done or done by an agent or by a junior officer. See the definition of ‘gratification’ under section 2 of the ICPC Act.

Also, section 8 of the Act has criminalized the demanding for the gratification and or appreciation in official duty as it is the present dimension, while section 9 of the Act criminalises the giving and or accepting gratification through agents. Furthermore, the acceptor or giver of the gratification is to be guilty notwithstanding that purpose was not carried out or matter is not in relation to principal’s affairs or business. Also see sections 17, 18, 19, 22 and 26 (1) and (2) of the Act. And everyone has the duty to report any such information of the demand and or offer of appreciation mandatorily under section 23 of the Act.

Finally, it is hoped that this article would have made a great impact and contribution in the awareness of the reader in combating and confronting corruption and all forms of corrupt practices and in whatever dimension it might take to affect the individual, the society and the nation at large.

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