An Examination of the Key Drivers of Corruption in Nigeria

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of the key drivers of corruption in Nigeria. It begins by defining corruption and its various forms, highlighting its detrimental effects on national development and the well-being of citizens. The paper then delves into the specific context of Nigeria, citing statistics on corruption levels and the impact of factors like oil discovery and public administration. The core of the essay explores the key drivers of corruption in Nigeria, including the influence of the national government's structure and effectiveness, the impact of the legislative framework, socio-cultural traditions, and information transfer. The essay argues that corruption in Nigeria stems from a complex interplay of these factors, hindering effective governance and sustainable development. The paper provides in-depth details on the causes of corruption in Nigeria.

Running head: DRIVERS OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA
WHAT ARE THE KEY DRIVERS OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA?
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1DRIVERS OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA
Introduction
As opined by Akinola (2017), corruption had emerged as one of the most important
wicked problems that the different nations of the world especially the developing nations are
facing presently. Oseni and Sanni (2016) are of the viewpoint that the adverse effect of the
wicked problem of corruption is not only perceptible at the local levels of the different nations
but also at the national levels. More importantly, the problem of corruption adversely affects the
growth or the development of the different nations. Adding to this, Otu and Ani (2018) have
noted that because of the problem of corruption in the different developing nations it had been
seen that millions of worth of tax money is not being paid to the national government by the
business corporations and the individuals.
More importantly, as discussed by Asomah (2019), it had also been seen that the people
who are in power not only misuse the policies or the different regulations to fulfill their own
greed but also take the help of coercive measures for gaining more power and affluence within
the societal framework through the usage of the construct of corruption. In this relation, it needs
to be said that there are various key drivers of corruption like the legal system, political system,
organizational factors, socio-cultural factors, historical factors, information transfer and others
which give rise to the evil of corruption in the different nations. The purpose of this paper is to
undertake an analysis of the different drivers of the evil of corruption through the use of the case
study of Nigeria.

2DRIVERS OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA
Overview of the concept of Corruption
Adongoi and Abraham (2017) have stated that the concept of corruption can be defined
as the misuse of power or the authority by the people who are in power or usage of dishonest
measures for the fulfillment of personal greed by those individuals holding the maximum amount
of power. Adding to this, Adelopo and Rufai (2018) have noted that corruption also refers to the
process through which the original expressions or the ‘word of mouth’ is being manipulated or
debased by the individuals for the fulfillment of own personal agendas or goals. For instance, it
had been seen that the high raking governmental official or the people who are entrusted with the
work of facilitating the effective implementation of the different governmental policies
commonly manipulate the actual terms or the stipulations of the governmental policies or
legislations to derive personal benefits (Ducrotoy et al. 2018). On the other hand, it had been
seen that the business corporations also take the help of different kinds of corrupt practices like
misappropriation of the revenue earned by them to avoid paying taxes to the national
government, usage of below standard equipment for the production of goods or services, offering
below-par quality goods or services and others (Rose-Ackerman and Palifka 2016). Furthermore,
at individual level, it is seen that the different individuals often offer bribes, gifts and others to
the governmental officials and others for getting their work done, hiding the wealth held by them
so as to avoid taxes and others.
As discussed by Agbiboa (2015), embezzlement, bribes, dishonesty, favoritism and
others are some of the most common forms of corruption which is found in the different nations
of the world. More importantly, it had been seen that the different forms of corruption are very
common in the developing nations especially in the nations with weak national government or
the nations wherein the different mafias are highly active and others (Tankebe, Boakye and

3DRIVERS OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA
Amagnya 2019). Mlambo et al. (2019) are of the viewpoint that a high level of corruption within
the framework of any nation adversely affects both the common people and also the entire nation
as well. In this relation, it needs to be said that the primary purpose of the different governmental
policies, regulations, legislations and others is to help the people to effectively fulfill their basic
psychosocial needs and thereby lead a meaningful or for that matter fruitful life. However, the
usage of the corrupt practices by a handful of people for the fulfillment of their excessive greed
adversely affects the fulfillment of the basic needs of the other people and this in turn reduces the
quality of life led by them (Baez-Camargo et al. 2019). More importantly, in many cases it had
been seen that the individuals become so irate and dissatisfied with the national government that
they resort to the usage of violence and other illegal measures for the fulfillment of their basic
need. In addition to these, the excessive usage of the corrupt practices by the different high
ranking governmental official hinders the effective implementation of the diverse important
governmental policies, regulation, mandates and others which in turn adversely affects the
stability of the nation itself and also the process of nation-building as well (Omobowale and
Fayiga 2017). In the light of these aspects, it can be said that it had become integral for the
different nations to effectively resolve the problem of corruption so as to facilitate the growth of
the common people and also of the entire nation itself.
Corruption in Nigeria
Dawar and Ndlovu (2017) have observed that corruption is perhaps one of the major
problems that the nation of Nigeria is facing presently which in turn is threatening the very
stability of the concerned nation. Adding to this, Ojedokun and Adeyanju (2019) have noted that
two of the most important factors which had substantially enhanced the level of corruption
within the nation of Nigeria can be attributed to the discovery of oil and gas in Nigeria and also

4DRIVERS OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA
the drastic rise of the public administration in the concerned nation. As per the results of the
Corruption Perceptions Index Survey (2018), the nation of Nigeria ranks at the 144th position
among the 175 nations of the world with the lowest levels of corruption (Unodc.org 2019). More
importantly, as per an estimate, since the independence of the concerned nation, it had lost more
than $400 billion on the score of corruption and also the corrupt practices used by its
governmental officials (Onwujekwe et al. 2019). In addition to this, more than 82.3 million have
been paid as bribes by the business corporations as well as the common people of the concerned
nation to the governmental officials of the nation (Awopeju 2018). Furthermore, as the results of
a survey conducted by UNODC in collaboration with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in
the nation of Nigeria, it was found that the family members of more than 15% of the existing
governmental official in the concerned Nigeria have bribed the governmental authorities for
getting government job (Unodc.org 2019). Lastly, the results of the above mentioned survey also
revealed the fact that less than only 5% of the people of the nation of Nigeria are are likely to
offer any form of bribe or refuse to indulge in any form of corrupt practice (Unodc.org 2019).
Thus, it can be said that corruption is one of the most important problems that Nigeria is facing
presently and its immediate resolution becomes important from the perspective of the long-term
growth and development of the concerned nation and its citizen.
Key Drivers of Corruption in Nigeria
As discussed by Adisa, Alabi and Adejoh (2018), the wicked problem of corruption that
the nation of Nigeria is presently facing cannot be pinpointed to just one root-cause rather it is
the cumulative effective of a plethora of factors. The most important factors which have directly
contributed towards the problem of corruption in the nation of Nigeria are discussed below-

5DRIVERS OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA
National Government
Hoffmann and Patel (2017) are of the viewpoint that the strength as well as the
effectiveness of the national government of any nation is one of the most important factors which
determine the level of corruption within the concerned nation. For instance, if the national
government of a particular nation is highly centralized and all the major decisions as well as the
processes are being handled by the high ranking governmental officials then it is likely that the
lower level governmental official would not get the opportunity to misuse the power that they
hold (Agbiboa 2015). However, in the particular context of the nation of Nigeria it is seen that
the national government of the concerned nation is largely decentralized in nature and also
because of the lack of adequate resources the national government is being unable to effectively
monitor the work of the different governmental officials (Abu and Staniewski 2019). This in turn
had given a substantial amount of freedom to the different government officials regarding the
manner in which they work or for that matter the processes which are being followed by them for
the completion of the tasks that they have been allocated. Thus, in the absence of any effective
supervision, the governmental officials have developed the practice of misusing the power that
they hold and this in turn had substantially enhanced the level of corruption within the
framework of the nation under discussion here.
Legislative Framework
According to Asomah (2019), the legislative framework used by the different nations is
another important factor which greatly influences the level of corruption or the usage of corrupt
practices by the citizens of the concerned nation. Adding to this, Rose-Ackerman and Palifka
(2016) have noted that if a nation has a strong legislative framework which actively punishes the
individuals indulging in the different forms of corruption or corrupt practices then it is likely that

6DRIVERS OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA
this would discourage the citizens of the concerned nation to indulge in corrupt practices.
However, in the particular context of the nation of Nigeria it is seen that the national government
of the concerned nation till now had not being able to formulate adequate stringent legislations
which will help it to adequately punish as well as discourage the citizens from indulging in
corruption or use different kinds of corrupt practices (Ducrotoy et al. 2018). It is true that the
nation of Nigeria post-independence had formulated different legislations related to the control
of corruption in the concerned nation yet at the same time it had been seen because of the high
corruption they have not yet been effectively implemented (Adelopo and Rufai 2018).
Socio-Cultural Factors
Oseni and Sanni (2016) are of the viewpoint that the social as well as the cultural
traditions which are being followed within the framework of a particular nation also influences
the process of corruption or for that matter the usage of corrupt practices by the common people.
As discussed by Akinola (2017), the common people of the nation of Nigeria had to face a
substantial amount of social deprivation over the years and also the ineffective policies of the
national government of the concerned nation have failed to effectively fulfill the basic needs or
the requirements or for that matter the psychosocial needs of these people. This in turn had
created the kind of mindset among the citizens of the concerned nation because of which they are
willing to take the help of any kind of practices if it helps in the improvement of their living
conditions or helps in the fulfillment of their basic psychosocial needs. This is perhaps one of the
most important reasons why the people of the concerned nation pay large amount of bribes for
getting adequate jobs or to get admitted into educational institutions and others (Mlambo et al.
2019).

7DRIVERS OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA
Information Transfer
As stated by Adongoi and Abraham (2017), one of the most important factors which
affect the process of corruption or for that matter the usage of corrupt practices can be attributed
to the factor of adequate transfer of information. For instance, it had been seen that in the nations
wherein the adequate usage of modern technologies for the transfer of information from one
place to another is being adopted the usage of corrupt practices automatically drops down. This
can be explained on the basis of the fact that the people taking the help of corrupt practices thrive
on the ignorance of the common people and thus if there is adequate transfer of information then
it is likely that the people in power would not be able to take advantage of the ignorance of these
people (Baez-Camargo et al. 2019). More importantly, the availability of the opportunity to
adequately transfer information also makes it easier for the people to report the different
instances of corruption and thereby contribute towards the resolution of the wicked problem of
corruption (Omobowale and Fayiga 2017). However, in the particular context of the nation of
Nigeria it is seen that because of the lack of technological development of the concerned nation,
traditional communication or information transfer methods are being used (Tankebe, Boakye and
Amagnya 2019). This in turn had substantially encouraged the governmental officials, citizens
and others of the concerned nation to indulge in different kinds of corrupt practices which in turn
have substantially enhanced the corruption level in Nigeria.
Organizational Factors
As discussed by Dawar and Ndlovu (2017), even in the 21st century it had been seen that
there are only a handful of business corporations operational in the nation of Nigeria and also the
nation over the years had failed to attract foreign direct investments for the development of its
business landscape. This in turn had substantially stunted the economy of the concerned nation

8DRIVERS OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA
and the national government of Nigeria offers different kinds of leverages to the business
corporations which are presently operational in the concerned nation to prevent them from
shutting down their business operations in Nigeria (Awopeju 2018). However, the problem arises
because these business corporations have started to miss-utilize the leverages that had been given
to them, so as to accelerate the pace of their growth and this in turn had adversely affected the
national economy of Nigeria (Ojedokun and Adeyanju 2019).
Historical Factors
An analysis of the national history of Nigeria especially the events of the 20th century
reveals the fact that the majority of the political leaders of the concerned nation like Azikiwe,
Adegoke Adelabu, Yakubu Gowon, Ibrahim Babangida misused the power which they held
(Onwujekwe et al. 2019). In addition to this, they also promoted corruption in the concerned
nation for the achievement of their personal goals and Ibrahim Babangida even went to extent of
legalizing corruption during his reign (Abu and Staniewski 2019). The extensive usage of corrupt
practices, misuse of power and others by the majority of the political figures and rulers have
created the kind of environment in Nigeria wherein corruption had become the order of the day
and the people think that it is completely normal to take the help of corrupt practices (Hoffmann
and Patel 2017).
Policy Recommendations
The high amount of corruption which is prevalent within the nation of Nigeria had made
it imperative for the national government of the concerned nation to formulate different policies
which in turn would enable it to reduce corruption and the usage of corrupt practices in the

9DRIVERS OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA
concerned nation. Some important policy recommendations that the national government of
Nigeria would benefit by taking into account are listed below-
 Development of a policy through which the governmental officials would be frequently
interviewed as well as investigated and if found guilty of indulging in corrupt practices
would be penalized as per the legislative system of the nation
 Promoting adequate transfer of information among the regarding their rights and also the
need to report the instances of corruption to the governmental authorities which in turn
would enable it to reduce corruption
 Formulation of adequate committees or regulatory bodies which will deal specifically
with the cases of corruption and also work for the resolution of the problem of
corruption in the concerned nation.
 Spreading awareness among the common people regarding the basic right, the damage
caused by corruption to them and the national government, the things that they need to
do if they notice anyone indulging in corrupt practices and others
Conclusion
To conclude, corruption is one of the most important problems, which is presently
affecting the growth as well as the development of the different nations of the world.
Furthermore, it had been seen that there are various factors or for that matter drivers of
corruption which in turn had substantially enhanced the level of corruption within the framework
of the different nations of the world. For instance, in the particular context of Nigeria it is seen
that the weak decentralized national government, past instances of the political leaders and rulers
indulging in the acts of corruption, inadequate information transfer and others are some of the

10DRIVERS OF CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA
most important factors which had made the concerned nation one of the most corrupt nations of
the world. Thus, it had become important for the national government of the concerned nation to
take the help of suitable policies or measures for the reduction of corruption within the
concerned nation.
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