[center]Award for Liberian bribe 'hero' [/center]


An airport customs officer in Liberia has been honoured by the West African country's president for refusing a bribe from a Nigerian drug trafficker.

Richard Karyea was offered $20,000 (£14,000) to look the other way by a Nigerian smuggler trying to bring cocaine in to Liberia two years ago.
The sum was more than 1,300 times his $15 (£10) monthly salary but he refused and handed the man over to the police.

He was named Civil Servant of the Year 2008 and given a $1,000 (£700) prize.
Mr Karyea was honoured by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf at a civil service awards ceremony in the capital Monrovia.

DVD player
After refusing the bribe in 2006, Mr Karyea was made redundant - he suspects his colleagues arranged to get rid of him.

But he has gone on to bigger and better things by landing a job as deputy chief examiner at the ministry of finance.
"It wasn't difficult to turn down the money," Mr Karyea told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
"If it took me 50 years to earn that money, I'd want my conscience. I will always want my conscience."
Mr Karyea said the drugs were hidden in a DVD player.
He called the owner of the package into his office and told him he was going to open it up.
"He grabbed my hand and said 'Ah! Oga-sir! Please don't'", said Mr Karyea.
But he suspects not all the officials are so honest at Roberts International Airport just outside Monrovia.
Later he saw the man boarding a plane to go back to Nigeria.
Even though it would have taken him many years to earn the same amount as the bribe he was offered, Mr Karyea is happy.
"Right now I'm rejoicing," he said.
West Africa has become a major waypoint for South American smugglers taking cocaine into Europe.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7855480.stm

Now this is what I call dedication. I wonder how many Nigerian Civil servants would be able to “look the other way” when offered a bribe 10times their salary.

That’s typical patriotism shown by the Liberian not the kind of lip-patriotism.

B.O.S.S.:

Now this is what I call dedication. I wonder how many Nigerian Civil servants would be able to “look the other way” when offered a bribe 10times their salary.

That’s typical patriotism shown by the Librarian not the kind of lip-patriotism.

not even your president

JJYOU:

not even your president

And I'm not didputing that at all.

_{Maybe in 50years time, I'll be able to see real patriotism displayed by my president}.

It will be extremely difficult for that to happen in Nigeria.
Most of our officers at border points (airport, land border, sea port)
bribe their way to get posted to this ''choice location''. Now imagine
somebody that spent a large sum of ''ill gotten money'' to get there,
refusing bribe. It's simply unthinkable.

god pls come down and save nigeria fromall this mess

i agree with you meex i hope our govt officials are taking a cue from that.instead they are busy dishing out awards to their croonies in crime

was it not charles taylor that tried to bribe one immigration guy to escape and the guy did not agree na so dem arrest am. What award did that man get? i think it was a sack.

otokx:

was it not charles taylor that tried to bribe one immigration guy to escape and the guy did not agree na so dem arrest am. What award did that man get? i think it was a sack.

Are you sure?

Give up $20,000??

was it not charles taylor that tried to bribe one immigration guy to escape and the guy did not agree na so dem arrest am. What award did that man get? i think it was a sack.

true

Great!
Good to hear some folks outhere are not corrupt!

otokx:

was it not charles taylor that tried to bribe one immigration guy to escape and the guy did not agree na so dem arrest am. What award did that man get? i think it was a sack.

Oh my gawd. So at least not all civil servants in Nigeria are corrupt then. I guess the government are actually encouraging corruption. Only if this guy who got the sack could sell his story to the BBC so as to make public the hypocrisy of our government. The endemic corruption in the Nigerian government.

another stupid diasporian.

this dude is like the energizer bunny, he just keeps going and going and going!!!! never really stops to think much now, does he? roflmao!!

i_laugh:

another stupid diasporian.

And another dumb idiot by the name i_clown.

Kobo and B.O.S.S . . . thou shalt not incur the wrath of the patriotic Nigerians. . . A paragraph is enough for the wise. . .

roflmao!!!

Kobojunkie:

roflmao!!!

Kobo, u sabi laff oo
Records show that one 70% of ur posts contain ROFLMAO

Jarus:

Kobo, u sabi laff oo
Records show that one 70% of ur posts contain ROFLMAO

Well, many of the posts on here are ROFLMAO funny! Better to laugh than to attack them for having an opinion to post on here, if you ask me. lol

some nigerian police officers can do that but the problem is that they will end up regreting their actions.
at the end of the day, his superior will take over the case and discharge the criminal taking the money the junior officer refused.
on the other hand, will yar adua or obj give u award for refusing bribe? answer is no. the only people who recieve in nigeria are the ubas and the adedibus. sometimes the ganis and achebes will be given honours as a way of telling them shut up.
nigeria jaga - jaga.