Psychiatric test for public office holders

Psychiatric test for public office holders

"THE extent of aggrandisement and gluttonous accumulation of wealth that I have observed in the course of my work suggests to me that some people are mentally and psychologically unsuitable for public office ..." said the head of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mrs. Farida Waziri recently. Her suggestion, not new though, (even Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, before he became president, said so) but coming from someone in such vantage position to appreciate what is really going on in this country should be well noted by both the governors and the governed in Nigeria. Indeed, too many persons in public office - as well as in private institutions - are behaving in such manners as defy logic and/or common sense that we feel constrained to conclude in line with the EFCC boss.

Mental health is a state of psychological well-being characterised by a number of elements. One of these is the maintenance of positive relations with others. It may be argued therefore that one who, entrusted with public resource - money, power, etc. - to serve the common good appropriates it for personal interest has chosen the harmful path, to self and to the deprived victims, to foster negative relations with the rest of his fellow men and women. That person cannot be said to be mentally healthy. Starkly put, to steal one's country blind is indicative of madness.

Similarly, one cannot be of sound mind who regards material wealth as the ultimate purpose of life, and accumulates it as an end in itself, rather than spread it, manure-like, as a means to nurture growth and development. Alas, to the eternal deprivation of the majority, our country is populated in unfair numbers by just such persons, and in high places to boot. This then is the reason that Farida's useful suggestion may not receive from that end, the attention it deserves. The idea is good but Mrs. Waziri must go further to suggest the way and manner of its fool-proof enforcement. Fool-proof because, we live in a place and a time that a psychiatric test may either turn into a weapon of political victimisation, or corruption including situations whereby certificates of mental fitness are fraudulently obtained.

It may be argued that the mindless accumulation of wealth is a coping mechanism that is, to manage the psychological pressure occasioned by life's problems, including, a childhood of severe deprivation. Going by this explanation, 'wealth-focused coping' mechanism serves for those who practise it, the same purpose that 'emotion-focused' 'and 'problem-focused coping' mechanisms do for other persons. This justification would make sense if it did not involve the misappropriation of the common wealth and the consequent multi-faceted damage to the state and the citizens.

Now, even as we agree with Mrs. Farida Waziri, the point needs be make that, notwithstanding her freedom to express opinion, she must not allow herself to be carried away by ideas that do not directly touch upon her mandate, authority and power. The EFCC boss is hired to identify, investigate and arraign persons accused of financial crimes. She is not charged to speculate on extra-legal issues such as the medical origin of corruption. Her duty is to ensure that those who enrich themselves corruptly and sabotage the nation's economic interests, have their day in court. We suggest that Mrs. Waziri faces her job squarely, does it effectively and bring all persons accused of corruption to face the condign legal test. This much is