CORRUPTION BEGINS WITH YOU

I heard a very funny story some time ago. The Senior Secondary School three (SS3) class of a particular school were about to write their WAEC. The principal of the school then decided that the whole students of that class would snap their passport photographs for their WAEC forms in a single photo-studio. He approached the owner of a particular photo-studio to ask how much the passport photograph would cost per student. The photographer said, "#500 per student". The principal then negotiated with him to beat down the price to #200 since the students were many and he agreed.

On getting to the school, the principal called the class teacher of the SS3 class and instructed him to announce to the students that they are to pay #500 each the following day for their passport photographs. When the teacher got to the class, he addressed the students and told them to unfailingly pay #800 each the next day for their passport photographs and that the money should be paid to him and not the principal.

One of the students in return told his mother at home that they were asked to pay #1,000 each in school for their passport photographs and his mother predictably told her husband when he got back from work that their son was asked to pay a sum of #1,500 unfailingly in school the next day.

The father obviously had no one to report to other than to blame it on the government and the poor economy. Now tell me, if such a father doesn’t have money, how will he not steal from his master’s purse? Corruption begins with you…

©OLAGBENDE REBECCA OLUWABUKUNMI