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This
Corrupt And Decadent World
By
Bola Ajibola
culled from GUARDIAN, July 31,
2006
It is quite disturbing,
disheartening and depressing to pause for a moment and observe the moral
decadence of this world. The world I was born into has changed dramatically
and practically for the worse. When we were young, there was nothing like
the current plague of hard drugs that has now criminalised the youths of
this world all over. Words like "cocaine", "hashish", "cannabis" even
"marijuana" were strange words we never heard about. You can now see the
damage they have done to our world, to our children and to many lives all
around us. It has increased the number of people in our asylum and prisons,
it has escalated violence among the people and so many lives are currently
in danger.
When you move around in our
present so-called civilised world or countries classified as developed,
people along the streets especially women, are in most cases half naked.
They put on little or nothing in order to display or show-case all the
sacred parts of their bodies. They call it "a free liberal and open
society". They say it is a matter of exercising the freedom of dressing.
Well, as a result, our young female victims in our developing society,
Nigeria, have decided to follow suit. "They are most regrettably, trying
to be civilised". Unfortunately, when the developed countries sneeze, we
catch the cold here.
An interesting story was
told recently. It involved a Caucasian male who was detected to have
a freezer at home stacked with the flesh of his human victims. It
was revealed that he regularly killed human beings, cut them into
pieces of "steak" and that was what he served himself as food. Why
then are Africans readily termed savages, cannibals and primitive
when there are some reports of similar practices out there. This
appears to me unfair. Why can't they reveal that these deviant acts
are not our exclusive preserve. Anyone who eats his fellow human,
must partake in the label, "cannibal" or "primitive" or savage
whether white or black.
Few months ago, I
came across accidentally, a colleague of mine who was eager to
break what he considered an important news to me. He said he was
prepared to break two news in one - one bad and the other one
good. He then asked which one I would like to hear first; and I
offered to hear the good news first. He then informed me that
Mr. X, an important international civil servant, got married,
and I replied that that was in fact good news because he was
single for too long in life.
He then broke the
second news about the same Mr. X. that he got married to
another Mr. Y, a man like him. When we were young, we were
repeatedly informed that any kind of sexual relationship
between a man and another man was an abomination; the type
that happened in Sodom and Gomorrah, hence such acts were
considered a crime of sodomy deriving its name from where it
virtually was first dramatised. Many "civilised countries"
in this present world have decided to legalise this decadent
abomination all in the name of allowing a free society to
run freer. So, in this present world of ours, lesbianism and
homosexuality are being permitted and even legalised - what
a shame. I only thought that the world will not become such
a decadent community in my own lifetime.
On my way out
of Nigeria recently, I read in a western newspaper that
an innocent child of 10 was knocked down by a car that
ran away. The child was sprawling on the floor screaming
for help right in the centre of the road. Most
distressingly, not less than 12 motorists by-passed this
child without helping her. What a world! It was the 13th
motorist that passed who helped and thus came to the aid
of the child. It is sadly becoming a cruel world and we
are no longer our brother's keepers. No one is prepared
any longer to render any selfless service. In this age,
they must be paid in kind or cash or gratified somehow.
I left
that of the developed world for another developed
country because of my assignments. Curiously enough,
something happened to me there which prompted me to
write this article. It all has to do with what is
known in the "civilised" societies as 'TIPS". A
historical rendition of the origin of the world
T.I.P explains that the word meant "To insure
(insure; old English meaning ensure) Promptness"
hence T.I.P. Diners who walked into an inn for some
supper more often find a box with a little opening
at the top of it labeled T.I.P. Money could be
deposited into this box by the would-be diner upon
entry into the inn. The purport of this was that the
diner would be served first or out of turn or in
other words promptly by virtue of paying that extra
money into the box.
This
is not strange to our familiar world. From the
time that I went to study overseas, tips were
invariably and frequently taken by taxi drivers.
Although not demanded, but it is always expected
and failure to give such tip could give the
passenger a kind of rebuff from the driver.
Again it is not unusual to find this dropping of
tips when you are at any restaurant; in fact in
those days, tips are also expected. In the olden
days, lawyers were paid in guineas that is one
pound and shilling. Legal history tells us that
the shilling is dropped at the small purse
behind the gown of the manager of the chambers.
What is the moral or legal basis of tips? Is
it a form of bribery or corruption endorsed
by the society? In our legal practice, tips
lack contractual consideration. The legal
maxim of quid pro quo is equally absent. If
I have travelled by a taxi and paid to cover
the journey, why must I pay extra money? If
I have diner satisfactorily or not, and paid
for the same, why must I pay tips?
I must however say, that as a footnote,
in this discourse, that this practice is
not unknown in Nigeria and it is
gradually gaining ground. Whenever I
sent someone to buy me a ram at the Sabo
market, in accounting for the ram, my
messenger will tell me that he paid for
the ram, paid for the rope, the "lada"
and something he called "jara" whatever
it means. But I think all these must be
grouped and classified as tips. Now
where do we go from here? Quo vadis!
In our law, official bribery and
corruption is described as:
* "Anything already done or
omitted, or any favour or
disafavour already shown to any
person, by himself in the
discharge of his official duties
or in relation to any matter
connected with the functions,
affairs or
business of a government
department, public body or
other organisation or
institution in which he is
serving as a public
official, or
* Anything to be
afterwards done or
omitted, or any favour
or disfavour to be
afterwards shown to any
person, by himself in
the discharge of his
official duties or in
relation to any such
matter as
aforesaid".
Again, some of
the available
dictionaries
described tips
as a small sum
of money given
as a reward for
services
provided.
However, what
horrified me
during this my
last trip is the
social and
unusual "legal "
elevation that
has now been
given to tips.
When I dined at
one of the
Restaurants, the
bill that was
given to me
demanded payment
for the full
dinner, tax, and
stated also
therein that
15-20 per cent
as tips is
customary for
good and
excellent
services and
that another 15
per cent would
be added if the
guests are more
than six. This
apparent "formalisation
and legislation"
of tips beat me
hollow. I
therefore left
one particularly
area where this
demand was so
formalised to
dine within
another
community, very
well known for
their high moral
value. There I
sat for my and
to my horror, a
demand for 15
per cent tips
was equally
made. I then
gave what I
could afford
which was far
below the 15 per
cent
expectation. The
attendant then
came to me and
said that "in
this country 15
per cent tips
are invariably
required from
diners and that
is what I must
pay".
I retorted
by telling
him that I
was not
prepared to
pay that
much since
the matter
of tip is
purely
discretionary.
What he did
was to
return my
tip on my
dining
table. I
left
thereafter.
There is no
doubt that
bribery and
corruption
are
invariably
the mother
of tips; and
they are
closely
interwoven.
Persistent
and forceful
demand for
tips will
invariably
continue to
encourage
people to
demand bribe
and indulge
in
corruption.
This is the
current
trend in
this world.
Quo vadis?
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Prince
Ajibola,
Senior
Advocate
of
Nigeria,
is
Nigeria's
former
High
Commissioner
to
the
United
Kingdom
and
a
former
Judge
of
the
World
Court
of
Justice,
Hague,
Netherland.
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