BOOK REVIEW: FIGHTING CORRUPTION IS DANGEROUS...

-
BOOK REVIEW: FIGHTING CORRUPTION IS DANGEROUS: THE STORY BEHIND THE HEADLINES

By Solomon Obi


A HEADED IDENTIFCATION
Title: Fighting Corruption Is Dangerous: The Story Behind the Headlines
Author: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
Publisher: Massachusetts Institute Press (MIT Press)
Year of Production: 12 April, 2018
No of Pages: 192
ISBN: 9780262038010
Price: $29.95 / £24.00
Genre: Prose
Reviewer: Obi Solomon Ifeanyi

Plot
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala’s new book, Fighting Corruption Is Dangerous: The Story Behind the Headlines, draws on her years as Nigeria’s Finance Minister to provide practical lessons on the difficult, sometimes-dangerous, always-necessary work of fighting graft and corruption.

Review
This book, Fighting Corruption Is Dangerous, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has written a primer for those working to root out corruption and disrupt vested interests. Drawing on her experience as Nigeria's finance minister and that of her team, she describes dangers, pitfalls, and successes in fighting corruption. She provides practical lessons learned and tells how anti-corruption advocates need to equip themselves. Okonjo-Iweala details the numerous ways in which corruption can divert resources away from development, rewarding the unscrupulous and depriving poor people of services.

Okonjo-Iweala discovered just how dangerous fighting corruption could be when her 83-year-old mother was kidnapped in 2012 by forces who objected to some of the government's efforts at reforms led by Okonjo-Iweala—in particular a crackdown on fraudulent claims for oil subsidy payments, a huge drain on the country's finances. The kidnappers' first demand was that Okonjo-Iweala resign from her position on live television and leave the country. Okonjo-Iweala did not resign, her mother escaped, and the program of economic reforms continued.

“Telling my story is risky,” Okonjo-Iweala writes. “But not telling it is also dangerous.” Her book ultimately leaves us with hope, showing that victories are possible in the fight against corruption.

Ultimately this is a book about grit and also about what it means to be patriotic.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NEW PIECE: "BIRD"

-
Image
NEW PIECE: BIRD By Kenechukwu Ibeneme The wind whooshes in my ears. The world is a distant place. I am flying. My mother told me I was meant to tower over everything. I wish she was alive to see me now. The wind pricks my eyes; these are happy tears. You're destined for great things, you know, Cynthia said to me. We were in our SS3 classroom. We had just done our final WAEC examination. I remember her rubbing my chest and smiling, my arm around her shoulders. We were going to be in the same university. We would graduate together and get married. That was over five years ago. Cynthia's husband owns this building, a five-storey plaza. I never got admitted. I feel like I just wasted my money on you, my father's words ring in my ears. His shop is on the ground floor. He sells motorcycle spare parts. He will see me soon. Soon. The world looms. People cluster around, walking and talking. I blink, and the tears burn the corners of my eyes. Happy tears, I swea...
Read more

BOOK REVIEW: "TRAFFICKED"

-
Image
A REVIEW OF THE BOOK ‘TRAFFICKED’ By ORJIEWULU AMARACHI ETHEL-MARY Title of Book: Trafficked Author: Akachi Adimora-Ezeigbo Place of Publication: Lagos, Nigeria ISBN: 978-978-142-976-5 Year of Publication: 2008 Pagination: 311 Prize of the book :1000 naira Reviewer: Orjiewulu Amarachi Ethel-Mary A NAIL-BITER WITH A BEAUTIFUL STORY TO MATCH “…So I walk the streets of Rome for Madam Dollar for three years and still claims I have not repaid my debt. There is no hope of escape. I do not speak Italian. I know no one in the city. I fear the police like plague as I don’t have valid documents, so I remain with Madam Dollar, biding my time, dreaming of freedom….On this occasion, he stops for a second to buy a newspaper and as soon as he turns his back, I open the door gently and get out. I do not look back until I have disappeared round the corner of the next street. I run and run and run until I’m out of breath…” The above captures the story of Nneoma the lead character in...
Read more

THE HEADIES: NEXT RATED AWARD

-
Image
THE HEADIES: NEXT RATED AWARD By Solomon Obi As we are well aware the Nomination List of Nigeria’s most prestigious award, the Headies is out and as we did in our previous post, we will be having a review of the award show and this time we will be looking at the Next Rated Award, which over the years has become one the most controversial award category. The award which was first presented in 2008 to Wande Coal has produced a lot of great music acts in the Nigerian Music Industry and beyond, so this year will be no different and below are the young talented acts vying for the award and little details about them. 1) Mayorkun Adewale Mayowa Emmanuel, his stage name is Mayorkun. He is a Nigerian Singer and Songwriter who came to limelight with his hit single “Eleko” and its music video more than a million views on YouTube in just ten days. He was born on 24 March, 1993 in Osun State, Nigeria. 2) Maleek Berry Maleek Shoyebi, professionally known as Maleek Berry, is a Brit...
Read more