Trust Nigerians for their gift of disparaging anything that does not involve them directly. The attitude of "See them gnashing teeth" is a common place here where instrument of perfection is what favours only me against them. So, though not a member of the ponzi scheme, I can't dance "yaginiyodo for seeing a fellow Nigerian in the lurch". Even if MMM is an unethical investment, the big question waiting for an answer is what is ethical investment when the only option is survival war. Remember, values become secondary when struggling for survival is acute.
It is always difficult to define what an ethical investment is, in as much, as there is no absolutism in morality. So, we can only look into MMM issue within the periscope of moral philosophy and Ethical relativism.
Simple logic, it is that you can only have an opposite when there is a word. Tell me which ethical business investment has the Government at all levels in Nigeria provide before we can call MMM unethical ?
WHEN there was campaign against some products in the UK, there was establishment of Ethical investment Fund . It excluded Tobacco, Arms, Alcohol and investment related to oppressive regimes from its products. That's providing a good riddance to a bad rubbish. Here we rail, cavil and nag without providing an exit door.
Ethical investing also known as Socially Responsible Investing incorporates environmental and social factors as well as competitive returns. So, tell me one Bank in Nigeria or other "Ethical business undertaking that will plough back as much as 30 percent gain in a month. Yet, we spare no rod to slam MMM for whose timely intervention some tables would have been denied of dinner.
MMM is not a camouflage. It states all its conditions of engagement and even provides a clincher that "don't invest more than you can afford to lose". But will an hungry man check the colour of a plate used to serve him a free meal ?
Before we yank Ethics off MMM, let's ask for alternative Ethical investment from our government. I can assure you that majority of those Nigerians Sun bathing in MMM are not unaware that morning sun never lasts the day. But do dey have another option?
By Isiaka Kehinde
A media activist and Chief Editor of
THE ETHICS MAGAZINE.
editorethics@yahoo.com
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