Practices Commission Research Articles

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.

Oregon’s K-12 transformative social and emotional learning framework and standard development

In 2021, Oregon's legislature passed House Bill 2166, which mandated that the Oregon Department of Education (ODE), in collaboration with the Early Learning Division and the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC), develop K-12 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) standards for students across the state. This manuscript highlights how Oregon used the Transformative SEL framework to guide their multi-phase process, which involved extensive input and collaboration from a diverse group of educators, policy makers, parents and students. This collaborative approach ensured that the standards reflected a wide range of perspectives and addressed the unique needs of various student populations. The manuscript discusses the challenges encountered in the process, such as resistance to change, resource allocation, and professional development needs. This work contributes to the growing body of research on SEL by providing a model for states and districts to develop and implement SEL standards that align with legislative mandates and educational equity goals.

AN ASSESSMENT OF CONTROL OF CORRUPTION AS A DRIVER OF ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA

This research investigated the influence of control of corruption on the economic growth of Nigeria spanning from 1996 to 2022. The Autoregressive Regressive Distributed Lagged Model was employed for data analysis. The study found that control of corruption has weak positive influence on economic growth in Nigeria in the long run but a strong negative influence on economic growth in the short-run. The dual nature of the influence of corruption control on economic growth in Nigeria—weakly positive in the long run and strongly negative in the short run—can be rationalized by considering the gradual nature of institutional change. The study recommends the empowering of anti-corruption agencies like the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and enforcing strict sanctions to influence cultural and moral change, while creating additional agencies, promoting transparent leaders, and fostering public discourse.

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.

Nigeria’s Anti-Corruption Model: Time for a Review

Corruption and its challenges to the society is not a new phenomenon but designing effective methods to combat it has proven to be challenging for a few reasons. They include the fact that the phenomenon is ever evolving, and the perpetrators are usually ahead of the law. Another reason is that the absence of commitment on the government has prevented sincere assessment of measures introduced to combat corruption. This paper assesses Nigeria’s Anti-corruption model of criminalisation of corruption related offences. Effective criminalisation of corruption related offences requires a workable legal framework and effective institutions. The absence of either or both means that combating corruption would not be effective. This paper discusses Nigeria’s legal framework for combating corruption. Using qualitative method, this paper finds that the legal and institutional frameworks need to be strengthened. One area of strengthening is that the anti-corruption model of multi-agencies with the two foremost Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACA), the Independent and Corruption Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) be reviewed. Instead, Nigeria should consider merging these two foremost institutions. The political will of the government is however sine qua non if this is to be achieved.

IMPACT OF HUMAN CAPITAL AND CORRUPTION ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA

This study investigates the effect of human capital development and corruption on economic growth in Nigeria. The study employed Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) and Phillip Peron (PP) tests, Johansen Cointegration test and Error Correction Mechanism (ECM) to analyse the data spanning from 1996 – 2020 sourced from World Development Indicators (WDI) and Transparency International. The empirical results show that human capital development has a significant negative effect on economic growth while corruption has a significant positive effect on GDP per capita. The results further reveals that the interaction variable has a negative and significant effect on economic growth in Nigeria. Therefore, the study conclude that human capital development and corruption have significant effect on economic growth in Nigeria. The study recommends among others that government should strengthening institutions of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), Independent and Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and Court of Conduct Bureau (CCB) in Nigeria. KEYWORD: ADF, ECM, TROP, Economic growth.

Integrated Unified Crime Information Management System

Crime detection, investigation and prosecution are usually carried out by the various law enforcement agencies saddled with such responsibilities. In this study, an integrated web based unified system was developed and implemented for the five (5) agencies (Nigerian Police Force, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Economic Financial Crime Commission, Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, Department of State Services) to enhance domiciliation of crime data into one system for effective information sharing among the five agencies. The methodology adopted for the system design is Object Oriented Analysis and Design Methodology (OOADM) and the tools used are HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MySQL. The result obtained shows that with the integration of the five agencies, accurate records of suspects and victims were timely shared by the various agencies. There is also an effective collaboration among the various agencies in crime detection, investigation and prosecution of suspects.

Government Expenditure and Its Effect on Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria

This study examined government expenditure and its effect on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria. This was undertaken given that Nigeria is a democratic underdeveloped economy seeking sustainable development. The Millennium Development Goals, the predecessor of SDGs, did not achieve much and now there are the Sustainable Development Goals to finance in the face of a volatile mono-economy, corruption, weak budgetary system, decaying infrastructure and security challenges. The specific objective of this study is to analyze the structure and trend of government expenditure from 1986 to 2020. The study adopted an ex-post-facto research design. Secondary data was obtained from publications of the Central Bank of Nigeria, National Bureau of Statistics, Transparency International and the World Bank. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used for analysis. The findings of the study revealed that recurrent expenditure outlay is higher than capital expenditure, the economic and social service sectors expenditure is inadequate to foster any meaningful sustainable development and, corruption is rife in the country. Hence, the study concludes that there are indications that the SDGs just like its predecessors, the MDGs, is on the verge of achieving poor outcomes if urgent measures are not taken to correct this. So, the study recommends that the structure of government expenditure should be reversed and made adequate; environmental sector expenditure should be disaggregated for easy inference to ensure that the issues of environmental degradation are dealt with; and agencies such as the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Nigerian Police and other security agencies should be strengthened.

TOWARDS FEDERALIZATION OF NIGERIAN UNITARIZED JUDICIARY

This paper examines federalism as a concept, its adoption to governance in Nigeria through the constitution. The constitution is examined with a view of showing elements of unitarism instead of the federalism the constitution proclaims for Nigeria. In this regard, we examined the creation of federation account, statutory allocation of revenue to states and local government and what it portends for a federation. Conduct of general Election on a date for the central government and all the states of the federation is observed as an aberration in a federal state, so also is the creation of a National electoral commission for both the central and state governments. Creation of central judiciary for both the National and state government with institutions like Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) is also an aberration in a federation. The paper is concluded by contrasting Nigerian federation with American federation with a recommendation for true federation modeled along American system so as to ensure peace, order, good governance and security of the nation. This will be a form of devolution of power which can ensure Nigeria’s unity and erase agitation for balkanisation of Nigeria.

Authors’ Response

Authors’ Response

Taft-Hartley and the Contradictions of Republican Anti-unionism

Taft-Hartley and the Contradictions of Republican Anti-unionism

Forensic Accounting Investigation of Public Sector Corruption in Nigeria: The Gioia Methodology

Despite the increased initiatives to combat corruption, the issue of corruption in the public sector in Nigeria persists. Past studies have found that one of the flaws is due to the ineffective investigation method. Given the seriousness of the issue, this study explores how forensic accounting investigation conducted by the authorities could assist the government in its initiatives to combat corruption in Nigeria. This study aimed at developing a model for improving the investigation of public sector corruption in Nigeria using forensic accounting techniques. Forensic accounting is a technique for detecting and investigating fraudulent practices in organizations and preparing evidence for expert witnessing at the court of law. In doing so, the Gioia Methodology was used to explore the understanding of the process of how forensic accounting is used to investigate corruption cases. We conducted a total of 24 face-to-face interviews with experts from the two leading anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission of Nigeria (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC). We conducted in-depth interviews with purposively selected participants to gain an insightful data structure. The data structure led to the emergence of a dynamic model depicting the relationship among themes and the aggregate dimensions. The study revealed four aggregate dimensions, commitment of national values, judicial reform, a preventive mechanism and financial commitment. The study recommends future studies to be conducted using quantitative research to test the model developed.

Challenges of combating fraudulent practices: evidence from Nigerian public sector

PurposeThis paper aims to explore the challenges faced in combating fraudulent practices in the Nigerian public sector.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is essentially the result of primary data of in-depth semi-structured interviews. An in-depth interview was conducted with 14 respondents comprises (4) auditors, (4) accountants, (2) legal practitioners, (2) staff of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and (2) staff of the Federal Inland Revenue Service. The interviews data collected were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.FindingsThis study found that among the challenges to combat fraudulent practices in the Nigerian public sector is first the prevalence of Godfatherism in the Nigerian public sector. Godfatherism offers selective judgment, lack of agencies autonomous and the party system which remains a challenge. Second, the issue of political immunity undermines public governance which illustrates an exemption of punishment, constitutional protections and the political environment are some major challenges faced in preventing fraud in the Nigerian public sector.Practical implicationsThis study, therefore, offers an important platform to Nigerian anti-graft bodies such as the “EFFC,” “Independent Corrupt Practices Commission” (ICPC) and “Code of Conduct Bureau” (CCB). Thus, it perhaps eases the way of combating fraudulent practices in Nigeria.Originality/valueThis paper is original and unique in its form and has value to anti-graft bodies and practitioners in the Nigerian public sector, private sector other African economies and academics.

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

Whistleblower Protection as An Anti-Corruption Tool in Nigeria

Corruption gives a few what belongs to all thereby laying the foundation for poverty, crime and erosion of trust in government and its institutions. It is a malaise that has plagued Nigeria for an uncomfortable length of time and its stifling effect can be seen in different sectors and States of the Federation. It is an annoying recurring narrative in the national discourse of the nation Different anti-corruption initiatives and agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) have not been able to effectively tackle the problem. This paper examines the potential of the Whistleblowing Policy to curb corruption in Nigeria and the sustainability of the success of the Whistleblowing Policy. The paper finds that without a robust legislative framework to protect whistleblowers,the Whistleblowing Policy will suffer serious setbacks. Keywords: Corruption, Whistleblowing,Whistleblower Protection, Legislation DOI : 10.7176/JLPG/92-18 Publication date: December 31 st 2019

Forensic Accounting Investigation Techniques and Successful Prosecution of Corruption Cases in Nigeria

With the upsurge in the loss of high profile corruption cases by the anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria, resulting from the inability of the prosecutors to come before courts with legally acceptable evidence, the adoption of forensic accounting investigation techniques in corruption investigation and prosecution has become imperative. The objective of this study is to examine the potency of forensic accounting investigation techniques in corruption investigation and prosecution in Nigeria. The survey design was used in the study with sample population consisting of investigators and prosecutors drawn from the four anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria (Economic and Financial crimes commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Code of conduct Bureau (CCB) and Police Special Fraud Unit (PSFU). The Yamane’s formular was used in the determination of the sample size. The technique adopted for analysis of returned questionnaires include descriptive and inferential statistical methods, while Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to test the only hypothesis formulated for the study. The findings form the study indicates that there is a significant and positive relationship between the adoption of forensic accounting investigation techniques in corruption investigation and successful prosecution of corruption cases in Nigeria. It was therefore recommended that all the anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria should always adopt forensic accounting investigation techniques in all their corruption investigation so as to be able to come up with evidences that will be supportive in prosecution of corruption cases in courts.

Corporate Financial Penalties for Cartel Conduct in Australia: A Critique

For much of the early part of the last decade, the focus of Australian cartel law and enforcement was on the introduction and implementation of a criminal regime for cartel conduct, a reform supported by Professor Baxt consistent with his long-standing advocacy of effective enforcement of competition law during his tenure as a leading academic and practitioner in the field and as Chairman of the (then) Trade Practices Commission.

Cleansing Nigeria’s Corrupt Bureaucracy: The Peril and Promise

The Nigerian bureaucracy came under severe ridicule following the discovery and recovery of large-scale looting of government money and illicit assets by civilservants recently. The discoveries were made by the various federal government anticorruption Agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). This is in spite of the Zero tolerance stance of the Mohammadu Buhari government for corruption in the civil service since it came to power about two year ago. Is it possible for a civil service bedevilled by this magnitude of corruption to be effective and efficient, especially in the area of national development? This paper holds the view that the government should ensure that its on-going efforts to cleanse the country’s civil service of the mess of corruption is intensified and pursued to the letter with the initiation of more stringent cleansing measures as well as providing adequate political will to crush the menace of corruption in the civil service.

The Perception On Public Sector Corruption (PSC) In Nigeria: An Insight From Experts In Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACA)

We have collected and analysed the perception of the experts from the two Nigerian notable anti-corruption agencies on PSC in Nigeria. Experts from the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission shared the experiences on how PSC in perceived in Nigeria. These experts are specialists and professionals in various fields of endevours. Furthermore, they are interacting with the phenomenon under investigations in in various capacity as investigators and prosecutors. Our initial aim was to gain an understanding from the perspectives of the corrupt public servants themselves. However, this proved difficult due to the secretive and complex nature of corruption. Even those found guilty of corruption and subsequently convicted, often deny the charges and hence decline speaking about it. Therefore, as the next plausible alternative, an insight from these experts was sought. Through qualitative research methodology paradigm, this study sourced data from face to face interviews with these experts. The finding indicates the perception that PSC in Nigeria is a social reality which is a multifaceted phenomenon. It is being perceived differently depending on the lens through which it is being viewed. Therefore, any meaningful remedy to the menace of corruption in the country should commence at gaining an understanding of the perception held on corruption and appropriately addressing it.

Working in the Black Man's Shadow: Mary Church Terrell and Anna Arnold Hedgeman's Fight Against Jim Crow

Working in the Black Man's Shadow:Mary Church Terrell and Anna Arnold Hedgeman's Fight Against Jim Crow Julie de Chantal (bio) Joan Quigley. Just Another Southern Town: Mary Church Terrell and the Struggle for Racial Justice in the Nation's Capital. New York: Oxford University Press. 2016. 358 pp. Selected bibliography, notes on sources, notes, and index. $29.99. Jennifer Scanlon. Until There Is Justice: The Life of Anna Arnold Hedgeman. New York: Oxford University Press. 2016. 262 pp. Illustrations, bibliography, notes, and index. $34.95. In 2016, Joan Quigley and Jennifer Scanlon published biographies of civil rights activist Mary Church Terrell and Anna Arnold Hedgeman, respectively, with Oxford University Press. These monographs are not a first foray into the genre for either author. In 2009, Scanlon, Interim Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Gender and Women's Studies at Bowdoin College, published Bad Girls Go Everywhere: The Life of Helen Gurley Brown, the first biography of the editor of Cosmopolitan magazine. That same year, lawyer, journalist, and recipient of the J. Anthony Lukas Works-in-Progress Award, Joan Quigley, published The Day the Earth Caved In: An American Mining Tragedy, telling of the events surrounding the coal mine fire in Centralia, Pennsylvania. Both authors remain true to their respective styles for their current publications; Scanlon digs deep into Hedgeman's life to understand her trajectory and achievements, and Quigley uses Terrell as a point of entry to examine the struggle for desegregation in the nation's capital. Practitioners of African American women's history, in particular, have used biographies to fill in the gaps where often primary sources were lacking. These personal stories serve as an entry point into the complex history of activists who faced the double burden of being both black and women. While Mary Church Terrell has been the subject of several biographies and studies in the past, Anna Arnold Hedgeman remained an elusive figure of the civil rights narrative, and for cause. As Scanlon astutely points out in Until There Is Justice, Hedgeman's contributions to the Civil Rights Movements were obscured by [End Page 491] the achievements of her male counterparts—A. Philip Randolph and Martin Luther King Jr., among others. Scanlon's important monograph is long overdue and fills in the gap left by the absence of Hedgeman in the literature. Through the lives of their subjects, each of these books increases our understanding of black women's activism from both a local and a transnational perspective, and each challenges the ways in which we include them in the Civil Rights Movement's narrative. Until There Is Justice follows Hedgeman from her youth in Minnesota to her first experience as an educator in rural Mississippi and on through her work for the YWCA, her political activism in the nation's capital, and her work with the women's movement. Throughout the monograph, Scanlon grapples with a question long considered but often avoided in the field: how did black women confront gender discrimination within the Civil Rights Movement? Furthermore, she examines how Hedgeman's several identities—as religious practitioner, political activist, civil rights leader, social worker, policymaker, educator, and wife—informed her leadership and helped her develop such a broad social justice agenda. We learn in Scanlon's book that Hedgeman played a critical role in the long Civil Rights Movement. She was instrumental in the creation of the Fair Employment Practices Commission, organized the March for Jobs and Justice, and coordinated efforts for the March on Washington. A proponent of Social Christianity, her work also extended to the National Council of Churches and to the General Commission on Religion and Race. She organized the African American vote during her time as a Democratic Party strategist for the 1948 election, and she joined the Health and Human Services Department after World War II. In the 1960s, she came together with other civil rights and women's rights leaders to form the National Organization for Women (NOW). While much of Hedgeman's work met with success, often new challenges brought with them a small amount of frustration and disappointment. As a black leader, she was tasked to do more with fewer resources...