Title: Corruption and National Development: A Study of Nigeria (2015-2023)
Authors: Okechukwu Richard, OJI (Ph.D)
Volume: 8
Issue: 10
Pages: 71-83
Publication Date: 2024/10/28
Abstract:
While one can say that corruption is a global phenomenon, the degree of corruption varies. One of the problems facing most Third World Countries including Nigeria today is corruption. This to a large extent affects development. In Nigeria for example, this problem has become endemic such that the entire fabric of the society is affected. Past administrations whether civilian or military had in the time past, put in place machineries to curb and or curtail this menace. Presently, there are institutions established with the sole aim of eradicating corruption. Yet, the disease has refused to go away or die. This is due to the fact that the apostles of this crusade against (corruption) are in most instances affected by it. Thus, the aim of this study is to analyze the implications of corruption on Nigeria's national development. Theoretically, the study adopted the Prebendal theory. The study, being qualitative in nature, exclusively relied on secondary data sources such as academic journals, newspaper articles, and government statistics from the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Transparency International, historical records like government reports and official documents as well as internet sources. This study establishes that the most devastating challenge that has threatened the economic growth and sustainable development in Nigeria is corruption. This realism explains the fact that since 1999 after twenty-four years into civilian rule, massive corruption, absence of political openness, transparency, accountability, electoral rigging, god-fatherism etc holds sway in the polity, coupled with huge incidence of poverty, inequality, unemployment and poor social infrastructure. The study argues that corruption undermines national development through the negative impact it has on a number of key sectors such as education, health, electricity, transport, and infrastructure. It realizes that the impact of corruption include among others, poor economic growth, poor infrastructural development, under utilization of human and natural resources, distorted policies and poor policy implementation and a colossal loss of public funds and poor inflow of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI). The paper therefore concludes that though corruption is pervasive and global, it is antithetical to development in all facets, hence recommends a review of the existing legal frameworks and that the corruption-fighting agencies such as the police, judiciary, EFCC, ICPC, and SERVICOM should be streamlined, reformed and strengthened in order to avoid administrative conflicts from similar agencies; be cost effective; freed from executive and other forms of control; and facilitate optimum performance.