Book Reviews
The Survival Mindset I strongly recommend this book – THE SURVIVAL MINDSET. The author has provided deep insight to the Nigerian context as well as providing valid arguments on making a difference in our different spheres of influence. Every young and malleable Nigerian should read this book. – Nina Ikechi
The Survival Mindset
Hi Friends,I strongly recommend Arnold Obomanu’s ‘The Survival Mindset’ for you this season! I found it to be a deeply-researched effort aimed at answering the question of why we are plagued by corruption on every side, as it were, and one which, all at once, showed how big the monster is, and how, with simple but not easy steps, it can be tamed.
I am convinced that it will stir up your thinking on the subject (we are simply resigned to its existence and pervasiveness such that we no longer ‘see’ it and therefore cannot challenge it, not even in our thoughts) and definitely move you to action in your own little space.
I believe, along with Arnold and many of you, that there will be change – Nigeria cannot continue like this. There will be a tipping point, and this can only come about with quality information on the psychology, practice, purpose and placement of corruption in all its forms, in our society and indeed the world at large.
Our children deserve to live and function normally, within a sane society driven by merit and solid values.
Regards,
- Lolomari
The Survival Mindset This is one book on the Nigeria situation that does not merely catalogue the problems but actually profers practical solutions. It is worth reading by anyone who calls Nigeria home. – Cliff Ibe
The Survival Mindset
Nigeria has been at cross roads for a long time with corruption mostly identified as the major albatross pinning the country down and preventing it from achieving its full potential. Most scholars have written about it and postulated several ways of tackling it with none coming close to the new release by my own “Aburo”, Arnold Oboamanu. The book is titled “THE SURVIVAL MINDSET, A Systematic Approach to Combating Corruption in Nigeria” but I will rather call it “The survival Mindset, tackling corruption from the first principles”. To start with I was amazed at the depth of thought that the guy went through to put the material together not just in terms of personal experience but in-depth analysis of what he thinks is the fundamental reason why Nigerians’ indulge in corruption so that we can fix the cause and not the symptoms which have always been the case. To be honest when he makes assertions that dealing with figure heads in public organizations’ like we have pursued in the past by agencies like EFCC was not the solution to the corruption problem, I struggled because I always believed that the body language of the “Oga at the top” mattered as we saw in the performance of NAFDAC during the reign of our own “Dora Akunyili” of blessed memory who incidentally I read this morning, Enugu and the rest of Anambra state in Nigeria are standing still at the time of this writing to pay their final respect. However when he observes the fact that such approach is not sustainable as the reforms tend to die after the reformer is no longer there as evidenced in the current perception of those organizations you cannot fault him.An interesting part of the read that got my thinking was the thoughts on relationships between structure and culture, where culture can be developed from some initial structure such that when the structure is eventually removed the culture is sustained. This got me thinking of some of the structures that we need to tackle the monster which he itemized to include the wide publication of laws, and what level of service the public should expect with focus on public service delivery which somehow is tied to the fabric of the society. Part of the idea which I think is very smart and have indeed been employed in some other climes is to “design away” corruption. For example legalization of the sale of alcohol in some climes reduced the black market racketeering and crimes that underpinned the trade and even generated revenue for the governments involved. So is the current trend of legalizing the sale of some hard drugs in some western countries. In my little corner I started to think about the little ways every day Nigerian is exposed to this malaise and how such design can work.
For example in my outbound flight overseas sometime ago, I had loads of local food stuff and soup ingredients to be sure my ogbonno and egusi soup are guaranteed abroad as am no adventurer when it comes to foreign dishes only to be accustomed by an agent who demanded gratification or threat of directing me to their inner office God knows where so I can go and pay the required duty before I could travel with my personal food items. If only the list of banned substances individuals could travel out with was largely advertised the said officer would not have had any avenue to threaten me or capitalize on my ignorance to extract any gratification. And even for the substances allowed, part of the design will be that in the case of need to pay charges, the mechanism of such payment will be such that it has very little inconvenience for the traveler, in this case a ticket which the government can charge straight to the persons account without any avenue for the officer to create any desperate situation for the passenger which they can then capitalize on because that is what the whole corruption thing thrives on, creation of apparent situations that warrant desperations such that people seek easier ways out.
For the typical road traffic agents and harassment and extortion of citizens, the design could be a publication of the fines associated with offences and have the agents have copies which they give to offenders as they book them without any need to threaten to drag people to their office thereby creating that desperate situation which they capitalize on. If fines are made competitive with what they demand as gratification and only needs the individual to go to a bank later at his or her convenience to pay such, guys would rather pay to the government than give the agents bribes because such bribery payment to the agents has a way of violating the individual. The catch will be that in a given time frame, the fine multiplies in case of non-payment and may eventually lead to jail. The traffic agent can get a bonus for the booking to take care of their lost income from bribery and that way their earning becomes legit and should give him some self-satisfaction. One acknowledges we need to have a valid database of citizens and other framework to be able to do this and this is doable with any argument to the contrary part of the conspiracy to create situations that warrant we maintain the status quo.
Oboamanu did a wonderful job with the development of his ultimate process “ARIMP” which he hopes can resolve the lacuna we have found ourselves in with respect to the corruption question. But my worry is that, like the saying goes “if you want to keep anything from the black man, put it in writing!”, will anyone read, note and take action? , especially the middle class whom he hopes can redeem the lower class before all of us go and talk to the upper class haven realized that depending on the upper class to redeem us all will never work.
I strongly recommend this read to everyone that wishes to see Nigeria take its rightful place in the committee of nations.
- Obidike peter
