EDUCATION AS A TOOL FOR COMBATING CORRUPTION

1. EDUCATION AS A TOOL FOR COMBATING CORRUPTION By Prof. AbdulrazaqKilani(FCAI) Dept. of Religious & Cultural Studies, University of Port Harcourt.

2. WHAT IS EDUCATION? • Education is a word we hear in everyday life, because education is an important activity undertaken by almost all people of the society. • Education is the process of facilitating  learning, or the acquisition of knowledge,skills,values,beliefs, and habits. • Education is the delivery of knowledge, skills, and information from teachers to students.

3. WHAT IS EDUCATION….. • Education implies a process of attaining and assisting others to attain optimal attitudes that enable a person to perceive accurately, think clearly, and act effectively according to self-selected goals and aspirations. • An educated person respect others regardless of their power, status, they are responsible for the results of their actions, they are resourceful in getting what they need both personally and for their family, organization, and /or society

4. ISLAMIC EDUCATION • Islamic education is the education based on the Qur’an, the Sunnah and the teachings of the righteous predecessors of the Muslims. • The moral and educational training of the Muslims in accordance with Islam must be geared towards: • To contribute to the creation and sustenance of a society in which goodness prevails. • To perfect the worship of Allah, and maintaining the requisite relationship between himself and all of Allaah’s creation.

5. ISLAMIC EDUCATION…. iii. Education must be given Allaah’s categorical declaration of the purpose of the life of Muslims (Q 51:56). iv. Islamic education is a means of liberation, a path to independence and self reliance. It achieves this by teaching the individual firmly to anchor himself/herself to Allaah and through self catharsis to purge himself of self centricity through the appreciation of the insignificance of the self(Communal Duties as against Individualism). v. It creates a civilized universal community that is free of discrimination and benevolent towards one another. vi. Islamic education instills the discipline of hard work and the use of hand to turn the gifts of nature to more useful ends.

6. ISLAMIC EDUCATION…. vii. Q 9:105: • وَقُلِ اعْمَلُواْ فَسَيَرَى اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَسَتُرَدُّونَ إِلَى عَـلِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَـدَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ ﴾ And say "Do deeds! Allah will see your deeds, and (so will) His Messenger and the believers. And you will be brought back to the All-Knower of the unseen and the seen. Then He will inform you of what you used to do.‘’

7. ISLAM & BUSINESS OF EDUCATION • The Business of education in Islam has four-fold: • the creation of knowledge • the dispensation of knowledge through the stimulation of understanding • the formation of character and personality according to the pattern of the Prophet • the setting of the individual on the path of tazkiyyah to the goal of falah.

8. THE 3 GOALS OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION • Ta’mil– willing submission with the heart and soul to Islam. • Ta’zim– loving regard and realization for the greatness of Islam, and • ‘Adab– reverence and respect for Islamic values

9. WHAT IS CORRUPTION ? • Corruption simply means: • The abuse of entrusted power for private gain. • Conduct that adversely affects the honest performance by an officer (Public or private) or body of their functions • In Islam, corruption is defined as a spiritual or moral impurity or deviation from an ideal.

10. WHAT IS CORRUPTION…? iv. According to Islamic teaching, any action and deed of mankind that flout justice or rule of law whether at home, place of work, learning institutions, social or political gathering are an act of corruption. v. It covers illegal practices which undermine fear of God, morality, decency, social justice, good governance, rule of law, harmony, peace, progress and development

11. CORRUPTION IN ISLAM… • The word fasadis used extensively in the Qur‟an to connote corruption. E.g. Q 30:41 • ﴿ظَهَرَ الْفَسَادُ فِى الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتْ أَيْدِى النَّاسِ Evil/Corruption has appeared on land (Al-Barr) and on Sea ( Al-Bahr) because of what the hands of men have earned • The objective of the Shari’ah include establishing goodness(maslahah) and elimination of corruption or evil(mafsadah) in the society

12. FORMS OF CORRUPTION • Corrupt conduct can take many forms including: • taking or offering bribes • dishonestly using influence • Fraud and theft • embezzlement • Misuse of information

13. NATURE AND TYPES OF CORRUPT PRACTICES • Studies showed that there are many types of corruption frequently practiced : • Tax evasion by individuals and corporate organization through refusal to honestly declare their annual income and to pay the corresponding taxes to the government; • Ghost projects and payrolls done by high ranking officials-BUDGET PADDING • Evasion of public bidding and due process in awarding of contracts.

14. TYPES OF CORRUPTION…. iv. Nepotism and favouritism in the appointment of government officials. v. Extortion or demanding money, valuable items, or services from ordinary citizens who transact business with government office; FRSC, Immigration offices for International Passport, Police Check points, Registry of Universities to check results. vi. Waivers to individuals by government officials, certification of roads, houses with substandard materials leading to collapse, inferno etc v. Corruption during election ; unlawful expenses in election campaign; buying of votes etc.

15. THE COSTS OF CORRUPTION…. • Corruption touches our lives every day. It happens across the private sector, individuals as well as the public service. • Research by the World Bank shows that about US $1 trillion is  paid in bribes worldwide each year. • Africa is home to several of the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International’s corruption perception index.

16. COSTS OF CORRUPTION…. • Corruption when it is pervasive like in Nigeria today is characterized by behavioural norms that justify and reinforce it, that is, it has become “culture”. • Corruption undermines democratic institutions by distorting electoral processes, perverting the rule of law, slows economic development and contributes to governmental instability. • Corruption is a national disgrace and it destroys our dignity. Likewise, it destroys our freedom.

17. IMPACTS OF CORRUPTION • Corruption impacts societies in a multitude of ways: • In the worst cases, it costs lives in our dilapidated roads and consulting clinics as Hospitals. • Increase in the number of street urchins due to family dislocation-Yandaba, Yantauri, OPC, Avengers, Icelanders, Kalakatoetc • Culture of violence and extremism among ignorant youths-ISIL, BH, Avengers, IPOB • BokoHaram insurgency and the fatalities, infant mortality, maternal mortality due to the nature of our hospitals.

18. IMPACTS OF CORRUPTION…. V. It costs people their freedom, health or money- children hawkers due lack of access to education, migration and death through Mediterranean sea of Nigerians etc. VI. Corruption is a major obstacle to democracy and the rule of law- Justice is denied through corrupt lawyers and judges VII. In a democratic system, offices and institutions lose their legitimacy when they’re misused for private advantage. THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IS VIEWED WITH CONTEMPT BY MANY NIGERIANS! VIII. Corruption depletes national wealth- Over a Trillion Naira has been recovered by FG from corrupt government officials.

19. IMPACTS OF CORRUPTION. IX. Money that ought to have been deployed to developmental projects is in foreign banks, septic tanks, buried in farmlands. X. Corruption corrodes the social fabric of society: divorce, single parents, part time parenting due to struggle to make ends meet. XI. The unrest in Niger Delta is due to corruption of agencies like NDDC, misuse of 13% derivations etc XII. The adoption of kidnapping by rampaging youths as a means of survival due to unemployment is a product of corruption and corrupt legal and judicial system. XII. It undermines people's trust in the political system, in its institutions and its leadership.

20. THE FAILURE OF OUR EDUCATION • In the pursuit of values in our education system to combat corruption, we must emphasize four principles; • Integrity (Q 4:87) • Diversity (Q 49:13) • Social justice ( Q 5:8) • Civic responsibility (Q 2:177)

21. THE FAILURE OF EDUC…… • C.S. Lewis, ‘ Education without moral values make man a clever devil’. • The two major purposes of education are cognitive-academic development and character formation. • The period Nigeria began to worship money and material aggrandizement, less regard for good character and doing things right, the society started to crumble and our educational system was overtaken by cultism, cheating in school examinations, upsurge of prostitution, drug abuse etc,

22. THE FAILURE OF EDUC…… • Most youths continue these negative traits to their adulthood thereby causing rampant corruption in all facets of national life. • Our youths, don’t have heroes among those who have lived selfless lives of dedication. They take their heroes from people of glamour in films, soccer and entertainment but not from scholars/intellectual or scientists. • Fredrick Douglas said: The life of the nation is secure when the nation is honest, truthful and virtuous • To use education to combat corruption depends on putting character first. • Recently a Professor and Reverend of a major church in Nigeria was involved in sex for mark scandal at OAU Ife. This problem is not only in Ife but almost all our institutions

23. THE FAILURE OF EDUCA…… • In our citadel of learning, proper education as a tool of combating corruption has been abandoned and they have been overtaken by cultists, drug addicts in form of Tramadol, Codeine, marijuana etc • Like Kukahquerried (2018): what happened to the vibrant intellectual culture of ABU, UNN, UI, Unife, Uniport etc of the 1980s- 1990s? • The Ivory Tower suffered a serious hemorrhage during IBB as some of the giants scholars were weeded away for ‘teaching what they were not paid to teach’ while the few were lured out of academics with ministerial appointments.

24. THE FAILURE OF EDUC…… • Military Generals with no university education began to influence the appointment of Professors, Vice Chancellors and some among them were appointed to administer University as sole administrator! • The war against corruption started with messianic chorus in all the coups Nigeria has witnessed since 1966 who called them the ‘ten-percenters’. • Corruption has refused to go in our lives. What we can say is that we have achieved recovery of stolen funds but corruption still remains with us. But Why? • Why many Governors, Ministers, public officers are being prosecuted, it is an irony of life that the various Presidents of Nigeria who presided over the entire commonwealth, no one has been prosecuted for corruption.

25. THE FAILURE OF EDUCATION • In the eyes of the law, we are not equal. There is a law for the Mighty and another law for the masses when the issues of corruption are brought to the courts. • The Prophet (saw) said: “Judges are of three types, one of whom will go to Paradise and two to Hell. The one who will go to Paradise is a man who knows what is right and gives judgment accordingly; but a man who knows what is right and acts tyrannically in his judgment will go to Hell; and a man who gives judgment for people when he is ignorant will go to Hell” ( Abu-Dawud, no 3566). • The cost of getting to the top of leadership in Nigeria-Governor, Senator, HoR, President is very prohibitive and we have not done anything to address it. • How do we curb corruption when the ladder to climb to the top is strengthened by unjust and corrupt system?

26. EDUCATION AND NATIONAL VALUES • Every developed society has its values: American Values, British values, European values • These values stood the test of time through a virile educational system • The values are embedded in the lives of the citizens. America is FREEDOM, JUSTICE, EQUALITY • WHAT IS OUR VALUE AS NIGERIANS? • Is it drugs peddling? Purveying fake drugs? Kidnapping? • Our life is chaotic in Nigeria due to the absence of national values or ethos.

27. EDUCATION & NATIONAL VALUES • THERE IS NEED FOR PROCESS OF LEADERSHIP RECRUITMENT: NOT SUCCESSION BY CRONIES AND MORONS TO CLEAR THE TRACKS OF THEIR MASTERS. • TODAY WE HAVE DISGUISED THIRD TERM IN MANY STATES WHERE A GOVERNOR AFTER FINISHING HIS TERM, INSTALL A CRONY WHERE HE PERPETUATES HIS INFLUENCE AFTER THE MANDATORY TWO-TERM

28. EDUCATION & NATIONAL VALUES • Many countries, such as the USA, UK and Australia, have undertaken to include values education in their official curricula • Value education is a type of education that is linked to human development. • We even remove History from our curricular in Nigeria until recently. • Research conducted on the effectiveness of values education has shown that school programmes can bring about a significant change in schoolchildren’s attitudes and behaviours

29. THE ROTS IN OUR EDUCATION • Our universities must return as citadel of learning • Our Basic education and High schools must inculcate the needed values on our youngsters: TODAY THERE IS EXAMINATION MISCONDUCT IS PREVALENT IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS, THERE ARE WEBSITES FOR LEAKING OF WASC, NECO AND JAMB QUESTIONS WITH ANSWER WITH JUST 400NAIRA RECHARGCE CARD. WITH 4K, A STUDENT CAN MAKE As IN ALL PAPERS • The sites are: examsort.com. naijaclass.com, examcrown.com, exponent.com, gurus.com • These sites make adverts, competing for patronage like any legitimate business.

30. THE ROTS IN OUR EDUCATION • There are testimonies of Nigeria students on this fraud. One student wrote: I GOT 7 A1s and a B3 for using their service • What is the role security agencies on this matter? • What’s the role of staff of WAEC and NECO in this nefarious activities? • How did they get questions posted that are 100% accurate with real questions?

31. THE HIGHER INSTITUTIONS…. • Our universities must return as citadel of learning • Our universities must be centre of fresh ideas to assist policy makers • Our universities must raise the bar of intellectualism by identifying, recruiting and retaining the best in the system. • We must do away with godfatherism and ethnic loyalty in recruitment in our universities. • Our country is on a moral free fall as no institution seems to be working from education to hospital, church/mosques, media, security architecture

32. THE HIGHER INSTITUTIONS…. • The quality of teaching and research in our HIs has dropped • The Lecturers are not researchers in the real sense of it but politicians only interested in posts on campus • Many of them retire to staff clubs of their Institutions and drink to stupor till midnight • Who provides innovation in science, Technology, cutting edge research in IT, Islamic finance, Banking, Insurance, for the ummah to address the myriads of problems? • The alcoholic graduates and cultists among us are the policy makers. • Our children are generation of drug and substance addicts: Codeine, Revzolin, Solution, Tramadol, Marijuana etc

33. A NATION OF SLEEPERS….. • Corruption thrives in society where people are not ready to work hard. • Many people hang their aspirations on miracles from spiritual vigils. • The implication of this is that many of us are penninless, needy and destitute due to poverty • We sit down daily and watch our neighbours or even family members dying not able to do anything • Many of us play cards, bet our money(SUREBET, BETNAIJA, BET247 (N345b bet in 2017 alone!

34. A NATION OF SLEEPERS….. • AMCON revelation showed that 350 Nigerians are responsible for 80% of the 5.4 t Naira debt portfolio of AMCON-Silverbird, Arik Air, Aero etc • There is no good education in such a person who defends any of these 350 Nigerians when they are picked up by EFCC to pay their debts. • There is no good education in the person who goes to China only to instruct manufacturer to produce sub-standard cables or drugs or tyres for his country citizens to use • There is no good education in the Nigeria who has flats and houses in Dubai, LA, London etc and his people are living in IDPs

35. A NATION OF SLEEPERS • NO ONE WITH PROPER EDUCATION SHOULD PROTEST AGAINST THE ARREST/PROSECUTION OF HIS KINSMEN FOR CORRUPTION • CORRUPTION HAS NO RACE/RELIGION/ETHNICITY OR POLITICAL PARTY IN NIGERIA • Our leaders get what they want and we get what we see! From education of their children to hospitals for medical attention • The country produces nothing but we consume everything imaginable on earth from China to Dubai from the most expensive liquors to exotic furniture.

36. EDUCATION IN COMATING CORRUPTION • Education is required to help the younger generation, pupils and students, become able to willfully and successfully cope with the pressures that push them to accept bribes, thus involving them in corrupt practices. • Education offers awareness of their rights and interests, equips students with the ability and power to cope with the pressure of giving and receiving bribes, • Education offer citizens (and officials) to consider bribery and similar practices as incompatible with their public role as citizens or officials, they become insurmountable obstacles against corruption.

37. EDUCATION IN COMBATING CORRUPTION • Education build values and develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to shape students’ civic stance against corruption. • Education makes people to be aware of the threats that corruption poses to the public welfare and safety, and willing to fight it. • Anti-corruption education provides: 1. Knowledge of the phenomenon of corruption: its essence, causes and effects; 2. promotion and development of intolerant attitudes towards corruption; 3. Education of voluntarism to fight corruption; 4 Education of values such as respect for democratic values, interest in everything that is taking place, honesty, responsibility for own and others’ actions

38. EDUCATION IN COMBATING CORRUPTION • The main goal of education against corruption is the formation of civic consciousness. • Education that makes us see corrupt people as enemies of the society. • Education that makes us good whistle blowers to help agencies of government in the fight against corruption. • Education that makes us shame looters and not celebrating them. • Education that makes us to call our leaders to account for their stewardship.

39. ISLAMIC EDUCATION TOOLS TO COMBAT CORRUPTION 1. Khilafah(Vicegerency).Allaahhas an enormous confidence in man over other creatures like the Jinns and hence the enormous honourAllaah confer on mankind. • Q 17:60 ﴿وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِى ءَادَمَ وَحَمَلْنَـهُمْ فِى الْبَرِّ وَالْبَحْرِ • And indeed We have honored the Children of Adam, and We have carried them on land and sea, • Allaahgave the trust of nurturing the universe as His vicegerents to humankind. The mandates given to humankind (in the process of discharging their responsibilities) as vicegerent of God on earth are clearly enunciated in the Qur’an

40. ISLAMIC EDUCATION TOOLS TO COMBAT CORRUPTION • Qur’an 22: 41: الَّذِينَ إِنْ مَّكَّنَّـهُمْ فِى الاٌّرْضِ أَقَامُواْ الصَّلَوةَ وَآتَوُاْ الزَّكَـوةَ وَأَمَرُواْ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَنَهَوْاْ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ وَلِلَّهِ عَـقِبَةُ they are those who, if We establish them in the land, establish regular prayer and give regular charity, enjoin the right and forbid wrong: with Allah rests the end (and decision) of (all) affairs • Corruption is NOT a ni’mah/fadl from Allaah • Don’t be an apostle of ill gotten wealth and do Umrah yearly to seek forgiveness-“BE A MALAM INTEGRITY”

41. ISLAMIC TOOLS…. • That is the essence of khilafah in the teachings of Prophet Muhammad(sallah Allah alayhiwasallam) 2. Aqidah-The concept of YawmulHisab/Yawmul din • Q 4:87 اللَّهُ لا إِلَـهَ إِلاَّ هُوَ لَيَجْمَعَنَّكُمْ إِلَى يَوْمِ الْقِيَـمَةِ لاَ رَيْبَ فِيهِ وَمَنْ أَصْدَقُ مِنَ اللَّهِ حَدِيثاً • Allah! None has the right to be worshipped but He. Surely, He will gather you together on the Day of Resurrection about which there is no doubt. And who is truer in statement than Allah • The Pillar of faith is the belief in the Hereafter.

42. ISLAMIC TOOLS…… • Allah has used many names to describe this Great event to drag home its importance. • Imams Al-Ghazali and Al-Qurtubi counted fifty names used by Allah for this Day • Yawmul Din, Qiyamah, Hashr, Tanaq, Al-Haqq etc • The Recompense of the hereafter explains the justice of Allah to all • WE WILL ACCOUNT FOR ALL THE HOUSES IN LEKKI, VI, LONDON, DUBAI ETC

43. ISLAMIC TOOLS….. 3. Akhlaq- Adorning ourselves with the garment of Islamic manners and conduct and not the ordinary dressing of being identified as a Muslim. • Allah says in Q 4:1: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ مِنْ نَفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالا كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاءً وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالأرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا O mankind! reverence your Guardian-Lord, who created you from a single person, ……….. • Discharge your trust at all times • Many pensioners are on the streets begging because some people have taken their pension funds

44. ISLAMIC TOOLS…. • Why are you conscious of halal meat and you are not conscious of halal money or income? • It is not the Kaftan or Babariga or Etibo or the language you speak that make a person good or bad but the quality of the character of the person. • LET’S CHANGE OUR ATTITUDE – It is said that, attitude is like a flat tyre, it can’t take you anywhere. You must change it • Nigeria needs a rebirth in all facets of national lives.

45. ISLAMIC TOOLS…. • Our attitude as Muslims in all tiers of government has been to perpetuate selfish goals of hajj seat, Umrah sponsorship from corrupt politicians, Id-adha rams, acrimony over the membership of pilgrimage boards and other selfish interests. 4. Zakatshould be paid by rich Muslims to help the poor • Salary earners should pay 1/40 of their monthly salaries • The idea of saying salary earners cannot pay zakat is obsolete. NO SALARY EARNERS IN THE TIME OF THE PROPHET(SAW)

46. ISLAMIC TOOLS 5. Government should pay the salaries of workers promptly. • Abdullah-b-Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah said: Pay the labourer his wages before his sweat dries up. -(IbnMajah) • Workers should be given living wages- Hadith on if we employ somebody to work for us if he has no house, means of transportation we provide him • MANY MONTHS SALARIES ARE UNPAID IN MANY STATES. • HOW ARE THEY COPING? • THIS IS TEMPTATION!

47. ISLAMIC TOOLS 6. Uqubah- Strict punishment for looters. No VIP under Islamic law as regards violation of laws. • Q9:112 وَالْحَـفِظُونَ لِحُدُودِ اللَّهِ وَبَشِّرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ And who observe the limits set by Allah. And give glad tidings to the believers • Q 45:18 ثُمَّ جَعَلْنَـكَ عَلَى شَرِيعَةٍ مِّنَ الاٌّمْرِ فَاتَّبِعْهَا وَلاَ تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَآءَ الَّذِينَ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ Then We have put you on a (legal) way of commandment. So follow you that, and follow not the desires of those who know not. • The Shari’ah is to protect the life, liberty and property of the citizens by reducing the commission of offences. NO SACRED COWS, NO UNTOUCHABLES

48. ISLAMIC TOOLS….. 7. Gift and Official Assignment: The Hadith of Al-Lutbiyyah • Abu Humayd al-Saa’idi (RA) said: The Prophet (SAW) appointed a man from BanuAsad in charge of the zakaah and when he came he said, “This is for you and this was given to me.” The Messenger of Allaah (SAW) stood on the minbar and praised Allaah, then he said: “What is the matter with a worker whom we send out, then he comes and says, ‘This is for you and this is for me?’ Why doesn’t he sit in the house of his father and mother and see whether he is given a gift or not? By the One in Whose hand is my soul, he does not take anything but he will bring it on the Day of Resurrection, carrying it on his shoulders, even if it is a camel groaning, a cow mooing or a sheep bleating.” Then he raised his hands until we could see the whiteness of his armpits and said: “Have I not conveyed (the message)?” three times[Al-Bukhaari (7174) and Muslim (1832)

49. ISLAMIC TOOLS….. 8.BRIBERY (RASHWAH) AS A MAJOR SIN: DONT GIVE • The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “May the curse of Allaah be upon the one who pays a bribe and the one who takes it.” Narrated by IbnMaajah (2313);

50. WE ARE GOOD PEOPLE • The case of MuhibiSolubi in around 1980s, Muhibi, a Yoruba Muslim, found a lost huge amount of money and religiously returned it to a police station in Ibadan, Oyo State. Many jingles were made in Radio OYO to praise his honesty • UBA Security Guard (Shuaib) who found $10,000 in Banking Hall • Keke NAPEB rider recently found 450k Forgotten by a Passenger in Jos • An accident occurred along Sagamu-Benin express way in 2018 and FRSC recovered 650K in Euro and returned to the victims of the accident.