BY
Linus Egede
Greed is the desire to have more than ONE’S fair share be it in the area of power, food, wealth or other tangible and non-tangible materials. After the creation of the world, God in strong terms recognized the obvious negative implications of greed and in the tenth commandment he warned mankind against avarice and covetousness. It is however most regrettable that despite such a stern warning from an unquestionable authority, people have today deliberately continued to show lack of contentment for what they have. In the Holy Bible and the Holy Quran for instance, there were some classical examples of extreme demonstration of greed by some individuals who were reasonably blessed with both human and material resources. Although the list is indeed inexhaustible, David who was king of Israel coveted the wife of a soldier Uriah, and took actions that culminated in the gruesome murder of Uriah at the battle field. Out of avarice too, King Ahab of Samaria unlawfully took possession of Naboth’s vineyard. Gehazi also coveted against the directive of his master, Prophet Elisha while Jacob on the advice of his mother created enemity between him and his elder brother, Esau by deliberately taking his traditional birth right. King Solomon equally coveted by not only marrying three hundred wives and having seven hundred concubines, but also subjecting his people to forced labour and slavery. Greed is a universal phenomenon which manifests in all spheres of life as people in the present era still indulge in acts of wife snatching, murder, armed robbery, hostage – taking for huge ransome, falsification of documents to secure jobs or remain in active service, as well as hoarding and arbitrary increase in the prices of goods and services. The kick-back system in the admission process in our educational institutions as well as other private and public establishments is also as a result of greed. A situation where officials in both private and public service insist on material or financial gratification before doing their job is also a sign of greed. Also worrisome is the unending problem of communal conflicts in Africa, a development that has been linked to insatiable desire of some people, particularly the wealthy class to claim ownership of lands that do not belong to them. In politics, greed has equally enjoyed an elevated position. Most leaders, particularly in Africa strive to remain in office even for life using the often lean resources of the state. In the effort to realize such greedy ambitions, they go to very high length to manipulate their country’s constitution and oppose them with attractive and glamorous gifts. Such leaders publicly preach against corruption, but contrary. They are not really interested in saving their people from the yoke of extreme poverty, and hunger. Another unfortunate development in Africa today is the manner in which projects are handled and executed. Many contractors connive with those who facilitated the contracts award to ensure that the projects are delayed or for the contract sum to be unduly increased so that both parties could get a sizeable percentage of the deal and become rich overnight. Others poorly execute or abandon the contracts subjecting the masses to deprivation. Greed, in all forms has far-reaching negative consequences. At the societal level, it hampers development and in its place sows the seed of suffering among the people. At the individual level, greed brings disrespect, hatred and divine retribution. In the Holy Scriptures for instance, it was greed which blind-folded Ananias and his wife, Safira to tell lies before the apostles, and they paid the supreme price. The time has come for African leaders and the people to identify greed as the major obstacle to the development of the continent and resolve to turn things around. This has to be demonstrated through selfless service and proper harnessing as well as equitable distribution of the enormous material resources which the continent is blessed with. Equally important is for the leaders to resist the temptation of engaging in unnecessary political manipulation and respect the people’s votes during elections. In this way, credible leaders who would address the current problems of mass poverty and the pitiable state of infrastructures in the continent would emerge. It is only by so doing that other key issues such as unemployment, inflation, and general underdevelopment in the continent can be tackled.
Source: Recorded live from FRCN daily commentary
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