The major causes of corruption in Nigeria and solutions

macfranc007 November 14, 2017 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Mary Ikande

Corruption in Nigeria has reached an all time high; the country’s social, economic and cultural spheres are full of it. This negative phenomenon brings significant damage and spoils the lives of citizens by inhibiting the development of various industries. The country needs to eliminate this problem as soon as possible. But first of all, the major causes of corruption in Nigeria should be pointed out.

Since ancient times, power and corruption have been inseparable. Throughout history, along with the evolution of the state, corruption has continued to evolve. At the dawn of the statehood formation, payments to priests, leaders or military commanders for personal appeal for their assistance, was considered a universal rule. Later, with the complication of the state apparatus, professional officials who usually received only fixed income also began to request some transfer of bribes.

The world has really changed, and so has the scale of corruption. Globalization and the formation of the world economy have allowed corruption to reach international levels and become one of the most massive and dangerous phenomena of our time.

In Nigeria, corruption takes place not only in the upper echelons of power but also in all private and public institutions. It is a custom that has been passed from one generation to another. Let us consider some problems typically faced in Nigeria today to understand what has led to such circumstances. We have grouped the major causes of corruption into 6 separate groups.

1. Fundamental

The imperfection of economic institutions, political decision-making system, underdeveloped competition, excessive state intervention in the economy, monopolization of certain sectors of the economy, state control over the resource base, low level of development of civil society and inefficiency of the judicial system are the fundamental causes of corruption.

2. Legal

The weakness of the law, the lack of a clear legislative framework and frequent changes in economic legislation, non-compliance with the international law, inadequate penalties for corruption deals, the possibility of influencing judicial decisions and the existence of norms that allow subjective interpretation of normative acts are legal causes of corruption.

3. Organizational and economic

Weaknesses in the system of control over the distribution of public (especially natural) resources, the difficulties of managing a large territory, a cumbersome and inefficient bureaucracy, relatively low wages of employees, discrimination in access to infrastructure networks, rigid trade protectionism (tariff and nontariff barriers) and other forms of discrimination fall under this category.

4. Information

The opacity of the state mechanism, lack of real freedom of speech and press, availability of offshore zones and lack of research on the problem of corruption fall under this category.

5. Social

Tho social causes of corruption includ clan structures, the traditions of nepotism, the exploitation of "friendly ties", the tradition of "giving" bribes as gifts, low literacy and education.

6. Cultural-historical

Wrong existing system of norms of bureaucratic behavior, mass culture which forms an indulgent attitude to corruption, features of historical development and little regards for the concepts of honesty and honor fall under this category.

What is the solution to corruption in Nigeria?

To combat corruption, the following steps must be taken:

Strict regulation of actions of officials.
Simplification of bureaucratic procedures.
Severe supervision over observance of high ethical standards.
Toughening of legislation.
Increasing the independence of the judiciary (with high salaries and privileged status of judges).
Imposing economic sanctions for giving bribes or refusing to participate in anti-corruption investigations.
Harsh actions, up to the dismissal of customs officers and other civil servants.
Increase of salaries of officials and preparation of qualified administrative personnel.

Despite the fact that corruption is quite often compared with a hydra, there are effective methods of combating this complicated phenomenon which have been proven by world practices. Not fighting bribery and corruption in Nigeria means supporting them. Taking into account the destructive consequences of this inaction in all spheres of society, the problem of countering this "internal enemy" should be considered in every country. So it is very important to study causes of corruption.

What are the major causes of corruption in Nigeria?

It is necessary to not just fight the weed that is corruption alone, but to also fight its seeds. By understanding the nature of corruption, exploring this phenomenon and studying the experiences of other countries in resisting it, we can get knowledge on how to fight it; and knowledge is known to be power. However, there will also be need to properly apply the results of our findings, and this requires both political support and the support of the entire society. Otherwise, the fight against corruption will be lost.