Conceptual and Theoretical Understanding of Corruption in Nigeria

Instead of focusing on diversifying, the leaders of the country focus on gaining power and standing in the government. “Nigeria’s most daunting challenge lies in overcoming the severe divisions among its competing religious and ethnic groups” . Moreover, once they gain it, their problems do not end, since they must look over their back, never knowing how long they will hold on to the little power they have. Meanwhile, the common person suffers, as he is neglected by his government and must survive on his own. “The standard of living declined even further than before and external debts increased.” This neglect of the common man bodes ill for the government, as it is the common man who votes in the polls. However, the vote does very little, since corruption is rampant in Nigeria.

Because of the level of corruption of many African governments, the head of government often benefits greatly from these resources while the country’s citizens do not.

Several mechanisms help to spread corruption and make it normal practice in these countries. Civil servants who refuse to toe the line are removed from office; similarly, businessmen who oppose it are penalised vis-à-vis their competitors. Furthermore, an image of the state has grown up over the years according to which the civil service, far from being a body that exists to implement the rights of citizens – rights that mirror their duties – is first and foremost perceived as the least risky way of getting rich quickly. All of which helps to make corruption seem normal.

Corruption can be defined as the use of entrusted power to accumulate public wealthy for personal benefit. Corruption is not peculiar to any country, continent or state; it is sure a global issue which is an endemic to all government all over the world. However, corruption is prevalent in the Niger delta region of Nigeria; public officers in this oil producing state of Nigeria are corrupt. Consequently, it has defied the Niger delta from developing politically and economically which has left the states reputation in a mess. Radicalization of youths, abject poverty and -political instability are the three leading effects of corruption in the Niger delta region of Nigeria.

Although a lot of hopes and expectations are provided in the current process of democratic modification and its capacity to engineer good governance, the possible outcome of the process remains uncertain and open to speculation. In Africa, just like any other region of the world, the indicators and cost of bad governance are corruption, injustices, inequity, integration crisis, ethno-religious feuds and a host of others. Corruption has generated an unthinkable level

The discourse of the endemic grand corruption in Nigeria is inadequate without a critical scrutiny of the roles played by the multinational companies (MNCs) in facilitating and sustaining grand corruption. Scholars argue that companies, especially multinationals, are the biggest perpetrators using a sophisticated network of notional companies and corporate structure to facilitate corrupt practices in developing countries. In essence, grand corruption in Nigeria is to a large extent sustained by the involvement and collusion of multinational corporations operating within and outside Nigeria. The quest for global expansion, global competition and profit maximisation underscores the multinational corporations’ exploitation of the vulnerable endemic corrupt administrations in Africa by offering huge bribes.

Political corruption has existed throughout the ages. It believed to be most prominent in positions of power, because of the role money plays in getting people power. However, over the centuries, corruption has changed so much so as to not match a particular definition of corruption, perpetually growing deceptively harder to find (Ebbe).

Michael Ogbeidi recounts that ‘the First Republic under the leadership of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the Prime Minister, and Nnamdi Azikwe, the President, was marked by widespread grand corruption’. Ogbeidi maintains that ‘government officials looted public funds with impunity. Federal Representative and Ministers flaunted their wealth with reckless abandon… Politically, the thinking of the First Republic Nigerian leadership class was based on politics for material gain; making money and living well’.

Corruption is a complex political, social, and economic anomaly that negatively affects developing and developed countries. It weakens democratic institutions, holds economic development, widening the rich-poor gap and certainly leads to governmental instability. The World Bank definition of corruption states that “…the abuse of public office for private gain”.

In relation to the records of the former President, Goodluck Jonathan, Remi Adekoya argues that ‘Jonathan 's record on corruption is a disgrace’. To buttress this, a recent report from Human Rights Watch states that ‘endemic public sector corruption continued to undermine the enjoyment of social and economic rights in Nigeria’. Former President Jonathan did not deny that his administration was undermined by systemic grand corruption as he has constantly referred to it as ‘common stealing’. He has been accused by even his political allies of only paying lip service while encouraging corruption through his “body language”. Recently, Jonathan received a letter from Obasanjo with ‘vitriolic criticisms, which include comparing Mr Jonathan’s rule to that of the late General Sani Abacha, the widely hated former military dictator’. In the eighteen paged letter, Mr Obasanjo accused Mr Jonathan of failing to tackle Nigeria’s many problems, in particular, the endemic grand corruption.

Africa is a continent which is endowed with rich, vast and varying natural resources, it’s people have talents, intellects and expertise to propel the continent into development in the fields of Science, technology, economic, social welfare systems, health, education and environmental conservation measures which are a catalyst for progress both at an individual, national, regional and continental level that would have transformed the face of Africa for the better. However, despite these rich heritage and diversity Africa is retarded by corruption which adversely impacted on all the facts of life, ranging from Governance, finance, politics, employment opportunities, distribution of resources, contract awarding, promotion and scholarship. In Africa being born into specific communities and ethnic groups zeal your fate and it is like getting life time condemnation to poverty, despair and hopelessness whose only ray of hope lies in getting out of Africa to America or Europe where people are considered not on the basis of their ethnic background,colour and conviction but rather on their merit, talent and field qualification relevancy, this pluralism enriched America and Europe by attracting the best brains from Africa who ran from their native continent because of Corruption, as stated in my opening remarks, In Africa almost all the key sectors are controlled by the ruling class, their tribesmen and foreign cronies who collude with corrupt states agents to loot state resources and deposit in far foreign banks without any regard for the poverty stricken masses , through corruption and shady deals, millions of Africans are chased from their agriculturally and minerally rich ancestral land so that greedy corporations can establish mining and industrial complex ,this further exacerbates the living conditions of the people as that removes their last hope of living in their continent through farming so that they meet their basic household needs, looking in turns, the delivery of basic services such as water, education ,health would be suffice us to crystallize the grim picture of dehumanizing living conditions that exists most of African countries .despite its many sources

Political corruption is a significant problem in Africa. Many of the regions in Africa were seeking for independence from European nations that had caused for political views to differ. The ideas of leaders were not all similar which may have created a majority of these countries in Africa to express their feelings and form their own political parties. Besides wanting to be freed from European rule, the rise of political corruption could also be faulted to the African leaders of different regions of Africa to voice their own beliefs with the determination that it lacked unifying the nation's overall.

Background: Corruption is the use of entrusted power for private gain as defined by the United

Corruption has been an emerging issue in Africa within the context of government administration systems. Corruption in Africa involves the unprofessional conduct of authority of those who hold power and people in authority misuse the power by looking for personal increase which they are assigned. Segregation and poverty increase do to corruption, because of politics that are living a bountiful life, many of Africans are lacking from their basic needs such as education, housing, food, right to use clean water and hygiene. Wong & Gomes (2014) describes corruption in the governance of Africa in two parts, the historical and the social-economic. “Corruption is principally a governance issue, a challenge to African democratic functioning. It is a failure of both institutions and the larger framework of social, judicial, political and economic checks and balances needed to govern effectively. When these formal and informal institutional systems are severely weakened by corrupt practices, it becomes harder to implement and enforce laws and policies that ensure accountability and transparency ((Bamidele. O, 2013)”.

Grand corruption ‘consists of acts committed at a high level of government that distort policies or the central functioning of the state, enabling leaders to benefit at the expense of the public good’. Grand corruption represents a very dangerous social phenomenon plaguing Nigeria since the colonial era, which legal and institutional efforts to combat it over the years have taken many forms. However, the persistence of grand corruption in Nigeria arguably infringes on the realisation of certain human rights. Metaphorically, corruption is referred to as ‘public enemy number one’ that needs to be combatted using a holistic approach. The endemic nature of grand corruption in Nigeria provokes such rhetorical questions as: is it proper for