Corruption In Nigeria Research Articles

Combatting economic crimes in Nigeria through whistleblowing: a shift from policy to legal framework

Purpose The purpose of this paper is a holistic assessment of the impact of whistleblowing policy adopted by the Nigerian Government in fighting corruption and an evaluation of the whistleblowing and witness protection bill. Design/methodology/approach This paper is a critical analysis of the whistleblowing policy and the draft whistleblowing and witness protection bill. The paper combines both qualitative and quantitative methods. It is conducted through the study of the policy and the draft bill and the critical examination of the data released by the federal Ministry of Finance. Moreover, the personal experience of the authors in the civil service and in formulating and implementing the whistleblower policy account significantly. Findings The whistleblowing policy adopted by the Federal Republic of Nigeria is promising in controlling corruption and other economically motivated crimes. However, while efforts to give whistleblowing a legal backing will strengthen the fight against corruption in Nigeria, the National Assembly must subject the bill to rigorous debate to avoid having many lacunas in would be act. Research limitations/implications The use of whistleblowing in combatting corruption in Nigeria is still at its infancy. A policy document backs implementation of the policy – there is no legislation or case law to consider. Thus, analysis is based on the policy document, the bill, statistics from the FMF and personal experience of the authors. Originality/value There is no comprehensive study on the adoption of and efforts to give legal backing to, the whistleblowing policy adopted in Nigeria. This paper is of value to the Nigerian Government and the National Assembly considering the latest efforts to institutionalise whistleblowing in Nigeria.

The Fight against Corruption in Nigeria: A Biblical Perspective

This study investigates contemporary challenge of ways to fight corruption in Nigeria and explores into Biblical perspective in the fight against corruption. The Bible clearly shows that God is against corruption in all its ramifications and that God will bring every corrupt nation, family, or individual to judgment. The methodology adopted in the study is historical and exegetical. The result of the study reveals that proper exegesis of Biblical truth, its application and enforcement by all stakeholders will reduce corruption in any society including Nigeria. It further shows that peaceful, secured, and prosperous citizens can develop if government adequately funds and monitors quality of training in theological colleges and seminaries in Nigeria where pastors and religious leaders are trained. This study recommends adequate Biblical and theological training of pastors and religious leaders as prerequisite for a corrupt free Nigeria. These people instil morals and develop the consciences of the people any money spent to prepare them adequately for this all-important work is justifiable. This will greatly restore social order, foster economic development and reduce to the barest minimum greed and avarice that are the mother and father of corruption in Nigeria.

Esan Response to Benin Draconian Legislation in Pre-Colonial times: Historical Lessons in Secession for Modern Nigeria

This paper examines secessionism as a problem of Nation and State building in Nigeria. It chronicles the warning historical lessons inherent in the 15th century Esan secession from Benin among others. Since the end of Nigerian civil war in 1970, the study finds that the threat of secession has continued to haunt the country. Political highhandedness and economic marginalisation in modern Nigeria have fueled secessionist tendencies beyond the pre-1967 level. More so, the frustrations and grievances of disgruntled Nigerians against the State are being expressed in militancy, terrorism, and other acts of criminalities that erode peace and unity. In the circumstance, nationalism has become the opportunity cost of maladministration and corruption in Nigeria. Therefore, the study juxtaposes the causations of revolution and secession in history with current happenings in Nigeria. And it concludes that there is a strong re-birth of injustice and oppression; which makes the threat of disintegration plaguing Nigeria very real. Consequently, the paper demonstrated the utility of historical knowledge as a political compass for guiding leadership in Nigeria to eschew past mistakes that bred secession.

Using Specialised Anti-Corruption Agencies to Combat Pervasive Corruption in Nigeria: A Critical Review of the ICPC and EFCC

Abstract The use of specialised anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) to combat corruption is increasingly popular among African countries. This is no surprise considering the successes these agencies have recorded elsewhere in the world, on the strength of which they have been described as ‘the most innovative feature of the anti-corruption movement of the last two decades’. Yet while ACAs have been successful in other parts of the world, the same cannot be said of those in Africa generally and Nigeria in particular. Even with two ACAs – the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) – corruption continues to soar in the country, making it necessary to examine the flaws of Nigeria’s ACAs. Focusing on a number of key characteristics of ACAs, this article analyses the role of the ICPC and EFCC in combating corruption in Nigeria. The main question the article seeks to answer is why corruption should be on the increase despite the fact that two specialised ACAs have been in existence for close to two decades.

Public Auditors and Detection of Corruption in Nigeria

The study investigated over the years the need and urgency of the auditors in detecting and reporting corruption in the Nigerian public sector. The main objective of this research is to show through empirical analysis that it is the duty of the auditors in detecting corruption in the public sector. The study was conducted in Edo and Delta states of Nigeria. Survey design was employed in the study. The survey was in two folds. In 2014, copies of questionnaires were distributed to accountants and auditors in the public sector and 5 audit firms. A total of 117 copies of questionnaire were retrieved. While in 2018, a similar copy of questionnaire was distributed to auditors only, working in the public sector in the two states. The Systematic Random Sampling Technique (SRST) was used in selecting 62 respondents from a population of 484 in 2018. The bio data and analysis was done using the Simple Percentage Analysis. The findings revealed that corruption detection by the auditors should be part of auditor’s role and exposure of corruption by the auditors will reduce corruption in the public sector in Nigeria. The study therefore recommends that ISA 200 and other Auditing standard should be reviewed to incorporate detection and reporting of corruption as key auditors’ responsibility. The State and National Houses of Assemblies should enact Act to review and impute the expected role of the auditors in the light of increasing accountability to the public.

Challenges of accountability in Nigeria: the role of deposit money bank

PurposeThe unhealthy drive for deposit in the banking sector has pushed many banks into unethical practices, thereby resulting in high-level corruption cases in the banking sector. The purpose of this study is to investigate the short- and long-run linkages between bank net interest income and deposit liabilities interacted with corruption, to establish the influence of corruption in deposit mobilisation drive of banks in Nigeria. Also, the study analysed the causal relationship between selected bank variables and fraud.Design/methodology/approachThe study used quarterly data on selected variables from 1Q 1993 to 4Q 2017 sourced from Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) annual reports and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Statistical Bulletin of various issues. Deposit Money Bank various deposit liabilities are interacted with a corruption index and used as the independent variables, while bank earnings serve as the dependent variable. Error Correction Model (ECM) and Engel Granger approach to co-integration technique were used to analyse the data.FindingsThe findings reveal that various bank deposit liabilities interacted with corruption index has a negative effect on bank profitability in the long run, though only corrupt fixed deposit is statistically significant at the 5 per cent significance level. Bank total asset, total loan and advances and fraud have a significant effect on bank profitability at 1 and 10 per cent significance level. The findings also reveal that banks profit from corrupt fixed deposit and demand deposit in the short run.Social implicationsTextOriginality/valueThe literature is awash with bank lending corruption and various institutional factors such as competition among banks, credit bureau and information sharing about borrowers, bank supervisory policies, loan loss provisioning, bank ownership structure and regulatory environment and anti-corruption measures. The aspect of deposit mobilisation and corruption has not been well researched in literature; this study, therefore, fills the gap in the literature by examining the extent deposit money banks contributed to corruption in Nigeria through their cutthroat deposit mobilisation drive.

Corruption in a diachronic corpus of Nigerian presidential speeches

Presidential speeches are often investigated as privileged readings of the state of the nation. A recurrent theme in the speeches of Nigerian presidents is corruption, and this reflects the enormity of national concern with the impact corruption has on social life, the economy and infrastructure development. Whereas research on corruption appears to be overwhelming due to its significance, questions useful for a more nuanced understanding of the subject have rarely been posed. Thus, little is known about the intensity of articulation of corruption over time, how social moments of enunciation can shape the articulation of corruption, as well as the types of corruption that are of concern. To provide answers to these questions, this article uses corpora, combined with transitivity analysis in systemic functional linguistics and critical discourse analysis, to analyse corruption in Nigeria from novel and especially diachronic standpoints. Findings show that (1) the articulation of corruption in the speeches, including the types expressed, have varied over time, and (2) the moments of enunciation of the speeches are often shaped, among others, by a need to gain legitimacy on assumption of office, a perception of how corrupt a preceding administration was and a verbalised determination to tackle corruption.

Euphemisms of Corruption among Students of Higher Institutions in South West Nigeria

Corruption is a pervasive practice in Nigeria that is commonly associated with government officials who divert public funds for private use, while minimal attention is paid to acts of corruption in the educational sector. This study, which is part of research on how language is used to drive and conceal corruption in Nigeria, aims at revealing some corrupt practices in Nigerian higher institutions that are concealed because of the euphemistic language used by students to describe and help perpetuate corrupt practices in their relationships with academic and non-academic staff of different institutions. Four institutions of higher education in south-west Nigeria were purposively selected and focus group discussions were conducted with 54 conveniently selected students of these institutions to collect qualitative data on the explanation of linguistic codes derived from the first phase of this study. The findings revealed extensive usage of ‘runs’ as a superordinate code for diverse acts of corruption including: sex for marks, cash for marks, sex/cash for grade alterations, examination malpractice, and the use of fake documents. Parents and guardians need to listen closely to the language of students in higher education for early detection of assimilation and acceptance of corrupt practices as a way of life.

Stability Analysis of the Corruption Free Equilibrium of the Mathematical Model of Corruption in Nigeria

In this paper, a mathematical model of the transmission dynamics of corruption among populace is analyzed. The corruption free equilibrium state, characteristic equation and Eigen values of the corruption model were obtained. The basic reproductive number of the corruption model was also determined using the next generation operator technique at the corruption free equilibrium points. The condition for the stability of the corruption free equilibrium state was determined. The local stability analysis of the mathematical model of corruption was done and the results were presented and discussed accordingly. Recommendations were made from the results on measures to reduce the rate of corrupt practices among the populace.

How does bribery affect the wage performance of formal firms? Instrumental variables and matching evidence from Nigeria

Background: There is an ongoing debate about the effects of bribery on economic performance, where strong arguments are made on the opposing sides. This article investigates the relationship between bribery and the level of workers’ wages. The study is a variant of investigations into firms’ compression of wages to pay for staff management mutually beneficial business practices. Aim: The aim of this study is to estimate the impact of bribery on the wage performance of formal firms. Setting: The empirical assessment uses a unique firm-level data set comprising 1141 Nigerian manufacturing firms, some of whom paid bribes to corrupt bureaucrats. Methods: The study utilised a standard ordinary least-squares estimation technique. To address the potential endogeneity and measurement error bias arising from bribery, we used industry-location average bribe rate as instrument. Results: We find a significant negative effect of bribery on wages to the extent that a one percentage point increase in the rate of bribery reduces the level of wages paid to the workers by about 230 000 naira per worker per annum. A robustness check using the counterfactual evaluation framework of propensity score matching, supports the ordinary least-squares estimation. Conclusion: This study lends support to the firm level-based hypothesis that bribery has a detrimental long-term effect on firm performance. In particular, that employers using their monopsony power shift the burden of bribery to the workers through compressing wages. In addition, our results justify the enormous attention of the international community in combating bribery and corruption in Nigeria and other developing countries.

Taxation Income, Graft and Informal Sector Operations in Nigeria in Relation to Other African Countries

This study investigates the influence of the informal sector and graft on income accruing to the government through taxation in Nigeria. Informal economy and graft are the two critical activities that inhibit government tax revenue collection and negatively affect the performance of an effective government. The study employs secondary data that cover a period from 2000 to 2018.This period is the millennium period which the country is expected to overcome corruption and curtail the level of informal economic activities prevailing in the nation, but it appears that all efforts seem not to be yielding the required results. In order to achieve the objective of this study, the multi-regression analysis is performed and the results indicate that corruption is very harmful to tax revenue collection while the informal economy has no significant impact on tax revenue within the millennium period covered by this study. Thus, the study suggests formalization of legal unofficial economy activities and total eradication of corruption in Nigeria through the strengthening of the anti-graft agencies, reinforcement of the legal structure and introduction of a more severe penalty for the perpetrators.

A Comparative Analysis Of Capital Expenditure On Infrastructure And Economic Growth In Nigeria And South Africa

Nigeria and South Africa are two dominating economies in Africa but defer in terms of infrastructural development. The question of whether this infrastructural difference culminate to the difference in economic growth in the two economies is central to this study. This paper therefore, examined the impact of capital expenditure on infrastructure and economic growth both in Nigeria and South Africa using time series data from 1980 to 2016.
 Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Bound tests technique of cointegration was used to on country-specific model of aggregate expenditure, following the Keynesian theory.
 The result showed that there is a the long-run relationship among the variables used in Nigeria and South Africa. Capital expenditure on infrastructure has positive but insignificant impact on economic growth in Nigeria while it was positive and significant on the economic growth in South Africa. The insignificant impact of capital expenditure on infrastructure on economic growth compare with South Africa may be the major difference in the two economies. This is traceable to lack of accountability and corruption in Nigeria compared to the good governance that truncated corruption and mismanagement in the government circle in South Africa. Tax base has positive and significant impacts on the economic growth in these two countries, this was supported by the Pairwise Granger Causality in which TAX granger caused economic growth in both countries.
 The study recommends injection of sufficient fund into infrastructural development in Nigeria. AS tax contributed positively to economic growth in both economies, it is recommended that tax revenue realized should be judiciously spent by providing the necessary amenities to discourage evasion of tax.

Corruption and the leadership question in Nwabueze’s A Parliament of Vultures and Ogbeche’s Harvest of Corruption

Corruption is one of the numerous problems that besieged most African nations immediately after their independence and is still eating deep into their systems. In Nigeria, the economic, socio-political and religious sectors are in disarray. Corruption is increasing and is at the edge of turning into a norm. It has reached the extent of undermining development and economic prosperity that more than 75% of the people are living in abject poverty. Politicians devoid of integrity, patriotism and commitment lead but blow the whistle on their efforts in the fight against corruption. Many writers have expressed the menace of corruption in their works. This paper explores playwrights’ critical responses to the fight against corruption in Nigeria and aims at providing solutions by highlighting the severe punishments to be meted on citizens guilty of corruption. It also aims at unfolding qualities expected of the citizens for a meaningful fight of corruption.

Academic and Non-Academic Staff Perception on Influence of Corruption on Enforcement of Due Process in Management of Tertiary Institutions in Kebbi State, Nigeria

Corruption in Nigeria is an issue that has become a national malaise and a focus for educationists at all levels. The study focused on how corruption influences the enforcement of due process on the management of tertiary educational institutions in Kebbi State. Four of such institutions were randomly selected while 200 Academic staff and 250 Non-academic staff were chosen using stratified random sampling technique. A validated questionnaire with reliability index of 0.78 was used to elicit the data needed in conducting the study. Three research questions were analyzed using simple percentages while three Null hypotheses were generated and tested using Chi-square at 0.05 levels of significance. The study found that corruption influenced the enforcement of both substantive and procedural due process in judging cases of violation of institutional rules in the sampled schools. It was also found that corruption factors have persisted despite laid down regulations in the institutions. The paper therefore recommended among other things that the institutions should regularly revise and update their rules to ensure that they are aligned with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The ethics committees existing in the institutions should closely monitor cases of violation of due process so as to ensure that justice, fair play and equity is maintained in the management of tertiary institutions in Kebbi State.

Values-Based Leadership and Fight against Corruption in Nigeria between 2015 and 2019: Public Policy Implications to Good Governance

Values-Based Leadership and Fight against Corruption in Nigeria between 2015 and 2019: Public Policy Implications to Good Governance Augustine Nduka Eneanya, Ph.D. Abstract It is globally acknowledged that the commitment of any government in fighting corruption is largely contingent on the values of leadership. Values-based leadership plays an important role in ensuring that relevant stakeholders and public institutions work together within the ethical confines of transparency, accountability and integrity in fighting corruption. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to critically interrogate value-based leadership as a concept of governance and the fight against corruption in Nigeria between 2015 and 2019. The study adopted qualitative research technique. Data were collected from primary (in-depth interview of 10 government officials/anti-corruption agencies) and secondary sources such as: extant literature, textbooks, journal articles, internet and newspapers. Content-analysis technique was adopted to elicit concepts. Elicited concepts were edited, pattern-matched, coded or categorized into key themes, namely: values, leadership, corruption, transparency, integrity and governance. Thematic data analysis method was adopted to analyze, interpret and answer research questions. Results showed that despite the intervention of anti-corruption Agencies, such as: Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent and Corruption and other Practices Commission (ICPC) and Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), corruption remains endemic as well as extremely prevalent in the public service. Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI) survey reports between 2016 and 2018, showed that corruption in Nigeria reduced by 1 per cent (28 per cent to 27 per cent). This is still high when compared to Obasanjo’s regime (1999-2011) scorecard of 16 per cent; and Yar’Adua and Jonathan’s regimes’ (2011-2015) scorecard of 25 per cent.. The paper concludes by suggesting that the missing link in the fight against corruption in Nigeria is that the citizens’ participations have not been included in public policy and governance process. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/ppar.v8n1a1

Gender and corruption: Explaining women involvement in governance corruption in Nigeria

The paper examined the causes, impacts and implications of the involvement of women as decision makers in corruption scandals in the Nigeria's Fourth Republic. It made use of qualitative approach and adopted idealistic and realistic theories of gender and corruption as its theoretical framework. There has been a general contention in the anti-corruption literature that most men in power have the tendency to perpetrate corruption and engender bad governance in Nigeria. Hence, there was rising call for political power to shift base to women for accountability and transparency in governance. This is connected with the notion that women's involvement at a higher level in governance would lower corruption level. The findings indicated that women's involvement in corruption is also significant. The findings further reiterate the corruptibility offemale power holders and contradict the assumption of women being the “cleaner and fairerx sex in public governance.

Exterminating Corruption in Nigeria: <i>The Cressey’s Approach</i>

The two objectives set for this research were to assess how well, the Cressey’s hypothesis, also known as fraud triangle theory, can explain the reasons behind corruption in Nigerian institutions, and to assess the significance of capability from the fraud diamond theory, towards the detection and prevention of corruption in Nigeria. The researcher adopts a critical review approach of past literature. From the conclusion reached, two recommendation for successful eradication of corruption in Nigeria are: (1) to adopt the Cressey’s fraud triangle approach as well as the fraud diamond to fight corruption (in micro level), from organization to organization and (2), to adopt a more fundamental approach similar to the Hong Kong’s Two-Pronged approach to improve overall accountability and fight opportunity for corruption from a wider macro level. Suggested step for the federal government of Nigeria to successfully fight corruption at a macro level, is to merge the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to form one single and properly resourced independent corruption fighting agency, similar to that of Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

A Historical Survey of Corruption in Nigeria

The main focus of this paper is to x-ray the trend of corruption in Nigeria from the period of independence till the end of Obasanjo regime which terminated on 29th May, 2007. This is because it is not an over statement that corruption in Nigeria both in public and private sector is gaining ground as if it is an approved norm. This paper starts with a brief look at the concept of corruption and how corruption came to live and thrive in this country. An attempt at high lighting efforts made by different governments at different levels to combat corruption as well as different efforts at different levels to sustain corruption is also made. A recommendation is proffered to reduce the level of corruption in Nigeria.

Combating the Cankerworm of Corruption through Plea Bargaining in Nigeria

Combating the Cankerworm of Corruption through Plea Bargaining in Nigeria Dr. Stella Oloaigbe Idehen, Dr. Sunday. O. Daudu Abstract This paper examines the indices of corruption and the use of plea bargain by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a means of combating the canker worm of corruption. Plea bargain has not been well received by Nigerians as the concept is seen to favour those who are highly placed in society. The reliance of section 14 of the EFCC Act on the use of plea bargain by the EFCC has been criticised as inappropriate. However, the introduction of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015(ACJA) has elaborate provisions that provide for a transparent dispensation of the use of plea bargain and is seen as a welcome development. The paper also examines cases where plea bargain has been utilised and discovers that its use is often in high profile cases where culprits are given a leeway to escape by being given lighter sentences which makes a mockery of the concept of plea bargaining. The paper found out that despite the use of plea bargain, corruption is on the increase and recommends that a supervisory mechanism be put in place to ensure that the concept of plea bargain be strictly followed and applied to all individuals irrespective of class so that justice can be seen to be manifestly done as this will help in combating the cankerworm of corruption in Nigeria. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jlcj.v8n2a10

The Impacts of Political Corruption on Democratic Consolidation and the Electoral Process in Nigeria

Since 1999, Nigeria has witnessed an uninterrupted democratic experiment with many challenges. With the installation of multi-party democracy in Nigeria, the era of military authoritarian regimes were over as Nigerians were looking forward to a free society characterized by social justice, economic growth and free, fair and credible electoral process. But today, democracy sits on the horn of a dilemma in Nigeria due to massive political corruption by the leaders. Free and fair election which is one of the features of true democracy has eluded Nigeria since the advent of the country’s nascent democratic dispensation. The behavior of the political leaders has cast doubt on any consolidation of democracy in Nigeria. This paper gives a comprehensive definition of political corruption and democratic consolidation, and highlights the nature of political corruption in Nigeria. The paper also examines the impact of corruption on the consolidation of democracy under the prevailing socio-economic challenges in Nigeria. Finally, the paper concludes with the advice that for there to be democratic consolidation, there must be massive investment in the provision of the basic needs of the Nigerian people.