Nigeri A Long, Complicated And Tragic History - 1703 Words

Nigeria is known for having a long, complicated and tragic history. Since achieving independence in 1960, Nigeria has struggled to stabilize its government. Nigeria’s history is studded with military coups and corruption. The rule of numerous coups, which have occurred relatively close together over a span of about twenty nine years, make it extremely difficult for a stable form of democratic government to be created. Instead of a true democracy, Nigeria suffers under a kleptocratic government. Nigeria’s corrupt form of government consistently takes from its people for their own reward. Another factor of government instability, is that Nigeria is a state comprised without regard to the nations within its borders. The people of Nigeria†¦show more content†¦The police force are supposed to be the vision of protection and justice for the citizens of Nigeria, but instead they are some of the people most feared and criminal. Godwin Ekpo was a Nigeria citizen who was shot through the jaw when he refused to pay a police officer a day’s wages in a bribe, â€Å"all of a sudden, I heard a gunshot twice. And†¦I went down, holding my jaw†¦and the blood was just gushing out† (â€Å"How†). This is a gruesome example of the severity of corruption in the everyday life of the locals in Nigeria. Corruption has reached even the ‘protectors’, and innocent people are targeted for not giving into the thievery. In Godwin Ekpo’s case, he was asked for just a day’s wages, however, when officers request bribes of greater amounts, escaping the grasp of an ever-growing and persistent poverty looks to be impossible. Another aspect of the local and ‘everyday’ corruption is when people seek out justice against the corruption of the government, investigations can be haulted or even over turned. In a PBS video article, Kemi Okenyodo stated â€Å"the low-level corruption makes it worse, when you come in contact with police officers, when you go and report a case, and a case can easily be turned against the person that has come to report† (â€Å"How†). There truly is no justice for the people of Nigeria in their law enforcement or in their government in charge of it all. Corruption