• Nigeria has been on a free fall as values means nothing to most citizens.
The case of Alfa Rafiu, a Point of Sale (PoS) operator in Ilorin, Kwara State, illustrates how low the country has sunk. A man who was led into the PoS business because he could hardly meet the needs of his family suddenly began to spend money as if it would soon get out of fashion.
Alfa Rafiu, also an Islamic cleric, made strange purchases out of sync with his regular income pattern. He reportedly acquired cars, bought houses, sent some of his relations and acquaintances on Lesser Hajj to Makkah, and became a philanthropist.
It was not too long before the source of his sudden wealth became known. A commercial bank in the city had mistakenly posted N280 million into his account. As many Nigerians with such crooked mindset would react, the Alfa just began spending, perhaps attributing it to his God, and returning thanks to his creator.
This is the bane of the society. A man whose means of livelihood is so well advertised should not have been so embraced by his community. Such depravity encourages vices in the country. While the police deserve commendation for swinging into action so swiftly, escalating the case to the Force Investigation and Intelligence Command, Alagbon, Lagos, the people must realise that the best Intelligence network is that provided by citizens. Security forces cannot perform magic if people refuse to team up with them to smash criminal gangs.
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It is unfortunate that some Nigerians are even asking what was expected of him, “after all he did not steal the money.” When money he did not earn found its way into his account, Alfa Rafiu had two options available to him. One, he could have reported the development to the police authorities. Two, he could have reported it to his bank, in realisation that it would have caused distress to some staff and probably owners of the money.
It is gratifying, however, that not all Nigerians would embrace such a criminal route to wealth. A Superintendent of Police in Kano, Mr. Daniel Itse Armah, last year turned down a bribe of $200,000 from criminals. He was rewarded for displaying integrity in an organisation believed to be citadel of corruption in the country. Also in 2018, a cleaner with the Nigerian Airports Authority, Josephine Agu, who discovered $12,200 left at the toilet of the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, duly turned it over to the authorities.
Nigeria will be better if more citizens take after such men and women of high moral rectitude. The starting point is in celebrating such people to show others that it is the way to go. Schools, from the elementary to the tertiary, too, should step up moral instructions and encourage clubs that teach good citizenship and leadership values. This will go a long way in restoring values that are almost becoming extinct in our society.
Something should be done to ensure that religious leaders know and abide by what is expected of them. There have been too many stories of rot emanating from them. In such situation, how do we expect them to contribute positively to sanitising the society? Alfa Rafiu should be made to face the full wrath of the law, and it starts with his full name and details being released. The police should do a good job of investigating the case, such that a tight case is presented at prosecution.