A Review of Scholarship on Corruption and Anti-Corruption in Nigeria

Abstract

The centrality of corruption in Nigeria’s socio-political and development discourse has spurned hundreds of scholarly research and studies devoted to illuminating the different aspects of the phenomenon. This article offers a review of some of the most important scholarly contributions available on the subject. The works covered in the study were from different disciplinary perspectives such as History, Law, Political Science, Anthropology, Economics, and included books, journal articles, internet materials and official publications. The key objective of the review was to identify the major strengths and weaknesses of existing studies and to highlight areas requiring further research. The study found that many areas of corruption and anticorruption research, that is, causes, nature and effect of corruption, anti-corruption legislations and agencies, have been well covered by existing literature and are readily available to policy makers. On the other hand, the anti-corruption role and contributions of many important actors, such as the international community, sub-national authorities, the legislature, the judiciary, and civil society actors including the media, ethnic movements, professional groups and labour unions, have not been well reflected in existing research. Similarly, virtually all studies on corruption and anticorruption in Nigeria were undertaken from the single country case study approach. The article concludes that there is need for researchers to broaden their focus and take into account all of these shortcomings for a more robust and comprehensive account of the phenomenon.