Ethics and Professionalism in the Banking Industry, a Case Study of Nigerian Banking Environment

Abstract

The study’s objective is to look at empirical investigation into the various causes of Bank failure with more emphasis on compliance enforcement by Banks with the Banking Code of Ethics and Professionalism (BCEP), so as to achieve a robust banking environment. Banking failure in Nigeria had become a worry to all and sundry. Questionnaires were administered to staffers of selected banks in the South Western states of Nigeria for a quick coverage as a result of the limited time, available for the conduct of this study. One Hundred [100] questionnaires were administered, but only eighty five (85) were received and analyzed. The analysis of data and the test of hypotheses was based on the use of the Pearson’s Moment Correlation Co-efficient, it showed that majority of bank failures in Nigeria, occurred not only because of non-adherence to ethical practices among operators but due to the spiraling height of indiscipline, corruption, hi-tech money laundering of public funds stolen by people in government authority, and the continuous uncontrollable conspiratorial acts of non-professionals and grossly incompetent government appointees into positions of regulatory and supervisory authority in the institutional framework in total authority and management of the banking and finance industry. Yet at the level of the operators, there has been gross insider’s abuse on lending; lending to high risk borrowers; micro-economic instability that has perpetually kept the economy comatose. In this paper legal enforcement and strict sanctions, adherence to ethical and professional practices in the banks and the entire financial industry is highly recommended. Also advocated is the coming together of professional bankers in academics to form an association and use their various research capacities and potentials to advise the banking and Finance industry in the area of ethics and professionalism.