Corruption In Nigeria Research Articles

THE TREND IN CORRUPTION, CRUDE OIL THEFT, AND NATIONAL SECURITY: A CASE STUDY OF NIGERIA

Over the past decade, Nigeria has faced a complex set of challenges, with corruption, crude oil theft, and national security issues being at the forefront. These problems have created a vicious cycle, where each issue exacerbates the other, leading to significant economic, political, and social repercussions. This study employs a longitudinal research design to investigate the relationship between national security, crude oil theft, and political corruption in Nigeria from 2013 to 2023. Nigeria, a leading global oil producer, has long grappled with security challenges, particularly in the Niger Delta region, where crude oil theft, violent events, and corruption have been pervasive. Using secondary data sourced from repositories, the study examines trends in crude oil theft, violent fatalities, and political corruption. Data were cleaned and analysed using R. The analysis reveals fluctuating trends in crude oil theft and corruption over the decade, with periods of peak activity aligning with political and security instability. The highest levels of crude oil theft were recorded in 2013 and 2023, while the political corruption index saw a significant decline from 2015 onwards, suggesting the partial success of anti-corruption measures. The findings highlight a complex interplay between corruption and oil theft, with spikes in violence and fatalities corresponding to key years of political unrest. The study underscores the importance of targeted interventions to address the cyclical nature of corruption, theft, and insecurity in Nigeria’s oil sector.

Corruption in the Nigerian Public Sector: Causes, Consequences and Sustainable Solutions

Corruption in Nigeria's public sector has long hindered the nation's development, stability, and prosperity. It permeates various facets of governance and society, leading to detrimental consequences, including economic stagnation, social injustice, and the erosion of public trust. Historical factors, such as the legacy of colonial exploitation and successive post-independence governments' mismanagement, have entrenched a culture of corruption. Despite efforts to combat it, including the establishment of anti-corruption agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), corruption remains pervasive. This study adopts a qualitative research design to explore the complex dynamics of corruption in Nigeria's public sector. Using Albert Bandura's social learning theory as the theoretical framework, and it explores how corrupt behaviors are observed, imitated, and reinforced within the public administration. The research identifies multiple causes of corruption, including institutional weaknesses, economic pressures, and cultural norms, which create an environment conducive to corrupt practices. The consequences of corruption are enormous: It undermines economic growth and development, deters foreign direct investment, exacerbates poverty and inequality, erodes public trust in government, and fuels political unrest and instability. Addressing corruption requires a comprehensive approach involving the strengthening of institutional frameworks, promoting transparency and accountability, improving public sector management, and fostering a culture of ethical leadership. Sustainable solutions to combat corruption include; enhancing the capacities of anti-corruption agencies, to be independent of the executive body, implementing public procurement reforms, ensuring budget transparency, and enforcing stringent anti-corruption measures.

Evaluation of Public Sector Corruption and Organized Crimes as Impediments to Nigeria’s Economic Growth

This research work on the evaluation of public sector corruption and organized crime as an impediment to Nigeria’s economic growth attempts to examine the link between crime and growth based on the theory of rational choice and empirical data.the major objective of this research is to evaluate the extent to which public sector corruption and organized crime impacted on economic growth in Nigeria. The Dynamic Endogenous Growth model is adopted to analyse the data collected as the study sought to cast further light on the macroeconomic implications of organized crime and its interaction with corruption. The study concludes that to eradicate organized crime and corruption in Nigeria, effort should be geared towards a fool-proof, digitized intelligence gathering on identifying the roots causes and a way to nip them in the bud. All leakages in the public sector also need to be blocked to curtail loopholes for corruption to thrive It is recommended that prosecution be forcefully pursued through the enactment of an accountability legislation for public office holders and the enhancement of police and court system skills through sufficient funding.Furthermore, the government ought to take action to promote a more productive economy, which would lower unemployment and serve as a deterrent to crime.

Long-term Impact of FDI-Corruption Interaction on Domestic Investment in Nigeria

Over the past three decades, Nigeria has experienced unstable domestic investment and foreign direct investment inflows, and the country continues to face rising corruption and related problems. An ARDL technique has been adopted to explore the long-term FDI’s impact on domestic investment including evaluating if the FDI-domestic investment nexus is dependent on the control of corruption in Nigeria over this period. The bounds test result shows an evidence of a long-term relation amongst FDI, domestic investment and corruption control (including GDP per capita, lending rate, exchange rate and oil price). We find that increasing inward FDI reduces (crowd-out) domestic investment and greater corruption control (lowering corruption) leads to a higher domestic investment in Nigeria over the long-term. Also, the influence of FDI on domestic investment depends on (or varies with) the control of corruption. FDI crowd-in domestic investment at greater corruption control than at lesser corruption control in the long-term. Other significant long-term influencers of domestic investment are the exchange rate and oil price. Given these outcomes, the study offers some recommendations to boost domestic investment in Nigeria.

Model for Curbing Corruption in Nigeria in the 21st Century

Model for Curbing Corruption in Nigeria in the 21st Century

Governance, Corruption and Underdevelopment in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic

Governance is a series of public activities that entail making choices in the public interest for the well-being of a nation. Corrupt practices have polluted these activities. Corruption in Nigeria is not just widespread but also systemic and responsible largely for the country’s underdevelopment. The main objective is to probe the implications of governance and corruption on development in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic utilizing qualitative research design and content analyses. The paper is guided by Social Learning Theory (SLT) propagated by Albert Bandura arguing that corruption is pervasive in Nigeria because people watch and learn from those in positions of governance. The study traces the foundation of corruption in governance from the colonial era and relates with the dimensions of corruption to governance in Nigeria, from where the justifications, motivations and implications of corruption are identified and discussed, and concludes that corruption in governance has undermined economic growth and development, worsened social services, neglected environmental pollution, challenged peace and security, heightened electoral frauds and scared foreign investments. It recommends the reappraisal of the anti-corruption strategy among others.

Combating Corruption in Nigeria: A Case Study of Public Prosecution under Buhari’s Administration (2015-2023)

The menace of corruption in Nigeria has lingered on for years, the conscious awareness towards this malady has gained prominence over the years, to the extent that the main opposition party, All Progressive Congress (APC), ascended to power in the 2015 General Elections, emerging victorious at the polls with anti-corruption campaign, echoed by the change mantra. This study dissected the much-anticipated fight against corruption in the eight years of Muhammadu Buhari’s APC led administration; it unravels that the principle The menace of corruption in Nigeria has lingered on for years, the conscious awareness towards this malady has gained prominence over the years, to the extent that the main opposition party, All Progressive Congress (APC), ascended to power in the 2015 General Elections, emerging victorious at the polls with anti-corruption campaign, echoed by the change mantra. This study dissected the much-anticipated fight against corruption in the eight years of Muhammadu Buhari’s APC led administration; it unravels that the principle of rotation of power with its patron-client network and identity politics are enablers of corruption in Nigeria. Similarly, it is posited that plea bargain constitutes a huge hindrance to the successful eradication of corruption in Nigeria, just as the poor reward system for career public office holders constitutes a challenge to the fight against corruption in Nigeria. The study concluded that the Buhari administration’s fight against corruption, although had Nigerians filled with hopes from inception, could not achieve much in the end with the anti-corruption Caesar (Ibrahim Magu) removed in what appears as a power play. We recommend the establishment of institutional mechanisms to prevent corruption, review of reward system for public officers, creation of credit system to facilitate citizens’ immediate access to meeting their needs, prosecution of civil/public servants who are complicit in corrupt practices, and compensation of whistleblowers, among other measures.

Religion and the Legal Institutional Combat against Corruption in Nigeria

Religion is man’s belief in the super abundant reality that controls the cosmic environs, propels humans’ worship and demand appeasement for pardon and favour. Corruption is the act of corrupting or the state of being corrupt, moral perversion; depravity, and perversion of integrity. The battle between religion and corruption in Nigeria is a moral one and calls for sanity and renewing of the mind. It has eaten deep into the fabrics of the nation with adverse effect on the poor masses. The perpetrating actors of corruption are found in all sectors of our nation but copiously amongst the elite and those in leadership. The objective of this research is to view the place of religious and legal institutions in combating corruptions in Nigerian. This research utilized historical approach as well as books, journals; internet materials etc as sources. It was able to examine corruption in Nigeria, holistic definition of corruption, nature and characteristics of corruption, evil of corruption, and the causes of corruption, legal and institutional fight against corruption in Nigeria, how religion aids corruption and the role of religion in combating corruption as a social responsibility/intervention in Nigeria. It recommends that religious institution should as a matter of urgency be the watchdog and the conscience of the common man in nation with respect to combating corruption in Nigeria. Keywords: Religion, Legal, Institutional, corruption, Combat, Nigeria.

Status-Conferral Function of the Press and the Fight against Corruption in Nigeria: Issues, Trends, and Implications

The study was carried out to ascertain the relationship between the status-conferral function of the press and the fight against corruption in the country, as well the issues, trends, and the implications. The study was predicated on Status Conferral Theory (SCT) and Social Responsibility Theory (SRT). The objectives were to ascertain the relationship between the status-conferral function of the press and the fight against corruption in Nigeria and evaluate the trends, issues and the implications of status-conferral function of the press on the fight against corruption in Nigeria. Interview schedule was used to elicit information from 24 media practitioners (12 Practising journalists and 12 Journalism teachers) selected from the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, via convenience sampling method. Findings established relationship between status-conferral and the fight against corruption in Nigeria. Indicate the use of status-conferral in developmental reporting as a trend, whilst the issues of lack of integrity, objectivity and fairness in the media and no regard for the rule of law in the country, as well as corruption were highlighted, amongst others. Given the findings, the study recommends that the media should be circumspect, whilst utilising status conferral function of the press, so as not to glorify perpetuators of corruption in Nigeria, as well as not engage in witch hunt, amongst others.

The Impact of the Fight Against Corruption on Nigeria's Economy: A Case Study of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission

Corruption in Nigeria has long hindered economic development and raised concerns about resource misallocation, reduced foreign direct investment, and eroded public confidence in institutions. Established in 2003, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was tasked with combating economic and financial offenses, including corruption. This study aimed to assess the impact of anti-corruption efforts, particularly the role of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Nigeria's economy. A survey research design was employed, with data collected through 109 structured questionnaires administered to personnel from various units of the EFCC at the Enugu state branch. Out of the questionnaires distributed, 100 were properly filled out and returned for analysis. Respondents were selected using a simple random sampling technique. The collected data were processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 20.0. Descriptive statistical tools, such as simple percentages presented in tables and charts, were used to analyze and interpret the questionnaire data. The study revealed several key findings. Firstly, it emphasized the importance of the fight against corruption in Nigeria. Secondly, it highlighted the positive impact of anti-corruption efforts on the country's economy. Thirdly, it found that the EFCC has been making progress in combating corruption. Lastly, it confirmed that corruption hinders Nigeria's economic development. In conclusion, this study casts a glaring spotlight on the corrosive impact of corruption on Nigeria's economy, translating to staggering losses exceeding $100 billion in GDP. Consequently, the research emphasized the necessity of intensifying anti-corruption efforts. It proposed recommendations to address this issue, including the strengthening of anti-corruption agencies, the improvement of legal frameworks, and the promotion of economic growth as crucial steps towards achieving sustainable

Conflict and warfare metaphors in the Nigerian media conceptualization of corruption

ABSTRACT The incidence of corruption in Nigeria is monumental, widespread, pervasive and endemic. Studies on corruption in Nigeria have been approached from diverse perspectives including insights from social sciences and humanities. This study is based on the tenets of Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT). The CMT approach expresses the role of language, culture and cognition in the communication of human experiences. The underlying motivation for conceptualizing corruption as warfare is because it is pervasive, dangerous and destructive and can stifle national development. The Nigerian media have been at the forefront of reporting cases of public sector corruption and in doing so have deployed different metaphorical frames in conceptualizing the phenomenon. This study chiefly investigates the dominant use of conflict and war metaphors in the conceptualization and communication of corruption and anti-corruption discourses in the Nigerian media. Thus, this study uses insights from CMT to unearth and analyze some of the metaphorical schemes and categories that have been used by six Nigerian newspapers, namely; The Guardian, The Punch, Daily Trust, The Nation, Vanguard and Sun to represent corruption and anti-corruption rhetoric.

The Impact of Trade Liberalisation On Corruption in Nigeria (1990-2022)

The Nigerian economy needs more investment, even after adopting a policy of trade liberalisation. Foreign capital inflows could help, but corruption is a major barrier. This study focused on how trade liberalisation affects corruption in Nigeria from 1990 to 2022. Secondary data collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria Statistical Bulletin report 2022. while data on control of corruption was sourced from World Governance Indicator and the data were analyzed applying the auto-regressive distributed lag model (ARDL). The results from the ARDL estimates demonstrated that in the short run at 5% critical value, trade liberalisation had a significant and positive impact on corruption (ΔTLP (-2)) = 0.7076; p=0.0031) while in the long run trade liberalisation (TLP) was insignificant in influencing corruption in Nigeria. Consequently, the study concludes that anticorruption policies and trade liberalisation separately reduce corruption in Nigeria. The study therefore recommends that the recent fiscal policy of the government towards autarky is ill-advised as result of the findings of this study which has confirmed that trade liberalisation entails policy direction that enhances the capacity of the economy to attract foreign capital inflows.

Assessing the Implication of Plea Bargain under ACJA, 2015 in Nigeria’s Anti-corruption Crusade: Lessons from Kenya

The fight against corruption under the Nigerian Criminal Justice System has gradually witnessed the use of plea bargain in the prosecution of corruption cases; drawing criticism and approval from stakeholders. Plea Bargain is an agreement between the prosecutor and defendant whereby the defendant concedes to plead guilty to a particular charge in exchange for some concession from the prosecutor. This paper assesses the implication of plea bargain under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 in the fight against corruption in Nigeria; drawing lessons from Kenya. The paper is doctrinal, using primary and secondary sources of law such as case law, books, articles in journals, and internet materials. It examines plea bargain and innovations under Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 as well as complementary analysis of plea bargain under Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) of states and Kenya’s application of plea bargain in its anti-corruption fight. The paper finds that judicial decisions considered both in Nigeria and Kenya reveals that plea bargaining is a useful tool in fighting corruption. One of the key recommendations of this paper is having a Plea Bargain Guideline and Rule pursuant to ACJA 2015 as obtainable in Kenya. This will act as a guide for prosecutors, accused persons and other stakeholders in negotiating a plea bargain agreement.

Strengthening the Dedicated Anti-Corruption Agencies Fighting Corruption in Nigeria: The Role of Favourable Policy Environment

Strengthening the Dedicated Anti-Corruption Agencies Fighting Corruption in Nigeria: The Role of Favourable Policy Environment

Community Participation in the Fight against Corruption in Nigeria: The Local Language Policy Perspective

Abstract:
 Decades after Nigeria’s independence, the country is still among the poorest in the world despite the availability of both human and material resources. The image of the country has been damaged by corruption. The level of corruption in Nigeria is beyond imagination. This article explores the role of community participation in the fight against corruption in Nigeria using the local language. The elite theory was used to operate the fight against corruption through community participation via the use of local language and twenty-five scholarly journal articles got from Google scholar, web of science, Sage, and other scholarly search engines were sourced and used. The content analysis tool used for this paper is systematically positioned to review words and themes, within some given qualitative data. The paper opined that local language can serve as a functional vehicle of interaction and an instrument of advocacy in the fight against corruption in Nigeria. The paper further established that local languages are an embodiment of culture, reflecting the depth of the people’s beliefs and knowledge. Hence, using it as a tool in the fight against corruption would be highly effective. The paper concludes that strengthening democratic institutions, including those created for fighting this menace, and the possibility of having a creditable community-sponsored candidate for elective position in the government would create a sense of belonging and indeed, bring a sense of optimism in governance and in the fight against corruption.

Elite Capture Syndrome and Anti-Corruption Control in Nigeria: The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and The Independent Corrupt Practices Commission in Perspective

Like many African states, Nigeria has hitherto been caught in the web of pervasive acts of grand and petty corruption. The pervasive nature of political and bureaucratic corruption in Nigeria has undeniably impoverished her economy and, as such, warranted the establishment of the EFCC and ICPC. However, anti-corruption agencies have not been able to control corruption to a minimum, as Nigeria remains poorly ranked in the global corruption index. This research takes on a critical and comparative lens to understand the nature of class politics in the fight against corruption, to examine the level of high-profile prosecutions, to identify irregularities in the institutions of law enforcement, and to consider the level of transparency and accountability for recovered loot and confiscated properties. The study finds, among other things, that powerful elites have high-jacked anti-corruption fights of the EFCC and ICPC, with low-profile convictions in Nigeria, and public accountability and transparency regarding recovered loot is almost nonexistent. The Elite Capture paradigm is employed as a theoretical guide in its narrative.

Protection or predation? Examining COVID-19 policing and the nuances of police corruption in Nigeria

ABSTRACT The bulk of scholarship on police intervention in enforcing COVID-19 pandemic-imposed restrictions focuses on police misconduct, securitisation, human rights, police preparedness, and legitimacy, but empirical research on police corruption during the restriction in Nigeria is sparse despite reports of pervasive police extortion and bribery. Thus, this study fills the academic gap by examining the dynamics of police predation and corruption during the enforcement in Nigeria. With interview data, I uniquely examined the intervention from the purview of predatory policing – an aspect of policing that is understudied in the context of COVID-19 policing despite its relevance in contemporary discourse on social control. Evidence indicates that, as COVID-19 policing characterised predation in Nigeria, the embedded problems of police corruption revolve around unresolved police institutional challenges and police-public connivance that results from moral decadence, thereby portending gloomy implications for law enforcement and society. Therefore, advancing and implementing police reforms, addressing moral corruption, and resolving widespread socioeconomic problems are very critical in the effective policing and containment of future public health crises.

Why Corruption in Nigeria? Experts’ Accounts on the Occurrences and Persistence

Corruption is increasingly becoming commonplace in Nigeria. Recent discoveries of hidden corrupt funds in Nigeria by anti-corruption agencies, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Nigeria, give insight into how severe the menace has become. The amount recovered during the early part of 2017 is shocking, despite the renewed effort to fight corruption by the present administration in Nigeria and, by extension, past governments. This has prompted the question of why corruption occurs and persists in Nigeria. To satisfy this urge, we believe that getting those involved in corruption will be of great significance in unraveling the reality of the issue. However, thoughtfully considering the situation in Nigeria, where, in most instances, even those caught in corrupt acts with overwhelming evidence often deny being corrupt and are ever ready to go to any length in proving their innocence, we oblige for a workable alternative, which is to meet experts from the anti-corruption agencies and get their perspectives on this. We believe that through these experts who have been interacting with corrupt officers as investigators and prosecutors, the reality of the matter will be revealed. Their experiences and understanding in the anti-corruption efforts can lead us to uncover why the occurrences and persistence of corruption in Nigeria. In achieving this goal, we conducted in-depth face-to-face interviews with the two anti-corruption bodies. Using thematic analysis, we find that six reasons explain why corruption occurs and then persists in Nigeria.

Moral Education and Corruption in Nigeria: A Reflection on Plato's Counsel on Education

Many nations of the world today especially in Africa are battling with the issues of corruption and Nigeria is not an exception. Sixty years after independence, the country is yet to come out of its socio-economic and political woes despite her abundant natural and human resources. There is so much abuse of entrusted power for private gain by most public operators through diversion and embezzlement of public funds meant for development purposes. With this scenario, certain questions call for attention: (a) what could be the cause of high rate of corruption in Nigeria and by extension Africa? (b) What are the dangers posed by corruption to the development of the area? (c) How can it be reduced or completely eradicated from our society?. Adopting the expository, analytical and critical methods of philosophical enquiry, this paper attributes the problem to moral ignorance occasioned by lack of proper moral upbringing at the formative years of the Nigerian child educational foundation resulting in the weakness of the ‘will’ to adhere to moral principles. The paper agrees with the Platonic position that he who knows what is good cannot do what is bad and calls for effective crusade against moral ignorance through the training of both the intellect and the will. therefore suggests Plato’s counsel on education where much emphasis is laid on moral education; that is the inculcation of moral habituation through the training of both the intellect and the will. It is believed that if this platonic counsel is strictly imbibed, with the passage of time people will not only know the good but also have the moral will to translate same into practice. By so doing, the issue of corruption will be reduced if not completely eradicated so as to usher in a responsible society characterized by sustainable development.

International Public Sector Accounting Standards and Deterrent of Corrupt Practices in the Public Sector of Ogun State Nigeria

International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) are expected to enhance transparency and accountability and deter corrupt practices in public sector. This study investigated the extent to which the implementation of the standards deters corrupt practices in Ogun State, Nigeria. The study adopted survey research design using questionnaire for its primary data obtained from staff in selected Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Ogun state, Nigeria. The selected MDAs are: The Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta; Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta; Ogun-Oshun River Basin Development Authority, Abeokuta, and Federal Medical Centre, Abeokuta. Ogun State was chosen because of ease of access and because the state combines the features of an industrial state with those of civil service state. The sample size is 600 accounting staffers and lecturers that cut across the MDAs. Results of regression equation revealed that the standards exert positive and significant effect on deterring corrupt practices with probability values of 0.000. This study observed that the adoption of the standards alone cannot totally curb corruption in Nigeria. Constant staff trainings, political will to bring corrupt officials to book and proper use of discretionary measures in the standards are therefore strongly recommended by this study.