michaelaI think, if possible, there should be some evaluation to check the ”greed quotient” of people taking up public office in Nigeria. Wealth Corruption and Greed Go hand in hand It is the simplest definition of saying someone has an IQ Intelligence quotient of 300 and a GQ of 20 and conversely another has an IQ of 30 and a GQ of 300 !
Actually your greed quotient is not determined by how much you have amassed . For Example There are Greedier people than Billionaires Elon Musk, Bill Gates and their Nigerian Contemporaries like Aliko Dangote Mike Adenuga under the Bridges of Lagos .
I am not saying Jeff Bezos Dangote and Adenuga are not greedy they have a systematic way , the business world calls it profit .
For Example I have always wondered why some Homeless people Mad People on the Streets come in two genres
Some walk naked not having any thing in the World . Others are like moving homes and yes They take it all with them !
The Seemingly Sane Mad Guy/Girl under the bridge that has every junk and stuff he/she can lay his hands on to make life seem worthwhile might just be worse .
Some have tons of different cans etc Beverage Cans Milo Bournvita Coke Pepsi etc and the Occasional rare Energy drinks Bullet Power Horse Red Bull ( not many poor people drink them as energy drinks cost money ) and you might think they thes sane mad people use it for something worthwhile like cooking or eating .It is a status symbol like diamonds are to the rich and 99 percent have it is just because it makes them feel they have something worth having that they can grab just like Dangote or Bill Gates have 20 homes they cant live in at the same time ! but these guys under the bridge let us assume they rent these cans to others i will say their greed quotient will lessen just like if Dangote has 30 homes and leases out 25 he is looking for profit and does not seem like he is greedy lol !
you see having 30 homes , you will need staff and most will have to live in your estate but having 30 cans you will need staff ut when i say staff i mean like Staff in the Bible to support yourself lol from all that weight
So i ask You who has the Highest GQ in Nigeria ? Billionaire Businessman Aliko Dangote President Buhari or you and I !
Greed Quotient – if your enemy thinks you are an asset the rate at which they make you friends is their greed asset quotient 🙂 ringroad.com.ng
abiel john balogun writes from Benin City Nigeria
Article
The instinct of greed is perhaps as ancient as the Homo sapiens. In fact, greed characterizes this species exclusively in terms of recognizing it as it is, because the animals act or react instinctively to hunger or lust or anything without having the power to decipher this as ‘greed’, and if it were possible we’d have seen numerous rivalries, bursts of envy, uprisings and power struggles in the animal world too. Greed is a simple five-letter word, even shorter in some regional languages; but it encompasses countless fields of activity, not just limited to the food varieties and culinary delights. Greed for money has been historically significant, demonstrated in all ages down to specifically the modern civilization.
It influences human beings in their relationships both in families and workplaces leading to a sense of competitiveness and envy; it influences human being in the basic man-woman relationships leading to subtle or obtuse expressions of lust which actually emanates from the greed for carnal pleasures; it influences human beings in their marital relationships in a vicious circle of mutual-greed concerning positions, incomes, costumes and so on; it creates virtual earthquakes in workplaces where colleagues and bosses act or react in unprecedented ways driven, obviously, by the greed for promotions or for absolute control or for credit-grabbing-stealing; the uncontrollable greed for alcoholic liquor that often results in skirmishes both at homes with members of the families and on the streets with friends or even strangers; and of course, the eternal greed for eating-at homes or at the ever-luring outside joints/restaurants/bars. Of course, we must distinguish between the urges of ‘eat to live’ and ‘live to eat’ to avoid harmful generalizations.
The above examples have to be considered as extremely limited in view of the unimaginably expansive networks that greed can create and evolve. It can act both at the micro and macro levels, from the nuclear families to international politics-of strategies and wars. The basic instincts in the operations of the hard-core criminals and the terrorists also emanate from greed; however, we’ll exclude this class from our treatment due to the rather ‘light’ nature of this piece.
The importance of the ‘greed quotient’ is crucial as far as the consequences are concerned. As we already indicated, if the quotient is insignificantly minimal then greed operates at a subtle level without any visible adverse impact; and when the quotient is almost hundred percent then greed operates at the obtuse level leading to family or social or even international unrest.
Again, in view of the ‘light’ nature of this piece we’ll restrict ourselves to greed-expressions or acts in relation to only the food sector. Considering the extent of civilization of the humankind greed should exist only for the cooked or ready-to-eat food items thus excluding the raw varieties barring some of the vegetables and of course the fruits. However, this cannot be viewed as a conclusive statement. When we go to the fish or the meat markets we cannot help but touch and press the raw pieces to test the ‘quality’, basically for mental solace; but there are others whose greed quotient must on the higher side, put their fingers on the raw fish or meat, press it and then lick their fingers, perhaps to taste its potential delights.
In the fields of garments, cosmetics, fashion and consumer durable goods it is extremely difficult to separate the greed quotient from other factors like necessity, glamour, consumerism and choices. But of course we can rely on this indicator: the more the number of unnecessary purchases, mostly of luxuries and expensive items, the more is the value of the greed quotient. Therefore, it is not at all surprising to come across caricatures of human beings in terms of garments or cosmetics or the lack of it everywhere, the foundation of which is soundly rooted at the greed factor.
Going out for lunches or dinners at the coveted restaurants-starting from the one to the five-six star varieties-is not always based on greed. Sometimes it is a matter of week-end or holiday habits, sometimes it is to be free from the constant kitchen engagement and at other times it is just for pleasure where greed can come into some play. When we find huge crowds waiting for hours before restaurants known for their gourmet delicacies at the dead of the night it is clearly a case of a higher or very high values of the greed quotient.
A fierce sense of competitiveness with neighbors, colleagues and relatives makes unfortunate changes in the values of the greed quotient. The once-upon-a-time celebrated advertising slogan ‘neighbors’ envy, owners’ pride’ was perhaps a direct abettal to unfavorable values in the greed quotient. If a neighbor buys an expensive luxury item or a car you feel compelled to do the same, even risking a financial crisis. The same applies to expensive fashion costumes and a variety of other consumer durable goods, and also to pleasure trips that could otherwise have been avoided.
During unusual times like war or a pandemic that continues for a long time there emerges the syndrome of the ‘suppressed greed quotient’, and when things seem to be coming back to normal there is an upward explosion in the values, leading to abnormal behavior patterns and violations of rules and regulations. The governments concerned react in ways based on their values, indeed. More positively speaking, this ‘suppressed greed’ or even the normal greed does not affect the poor and the lower-middle classes as much to an extent as the affluent classes, and this is a blessing for the deprived, saving them from further sufferings.
Let us conclude this piece with a nice story of a shy and introvert young man who happened to have his supper at his uncle’s place one night. There was a delicious egg curry prepared by his aunt. The young man was relishing his food, eating the rice soaked with the curry licking his fingers, smacking his lips till only the full egg remained in his plate. His uncle was noticing the proceedings of the young man’s eating pattern. Suddenly the uncle exclaimed, “Oh dear! You have not eaten the egg! Don’t you like it?” and before the poor guy could reply the uncle picked up the egg and put it into his mouth in one motion, both of his cheeks bulging out in a pure relish of munching. The young man looked stunned, aghast and utterly grief-stricken. He had preserved the full egg dexterously, resisting the urge of having it straightway in full or in parts, for a delightful ending.
culled and adapted from online sources ringroad.com.ng chennaiyil.com
