1.1 Introduction
Corruption in Nigeria is as old as the country itself, though its nature, scope, and consequences have varied considerably over the years. Indeed, from the late colonial period to date; it has surged high, the level of its veracity in the country has increase. Money became the means and the end of the political process, corruption has therefore become part of the spoils of politicking, for elite and the non elite. Political corruption becomes an unsavory development among other misdemeanor, which subsequently endangered the democratic experiment.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Since Nigeria got her independence in the year 1960, the country is still battling with the problem of good democratic system of government. The leadership in the country has been characterized by lack of vision, political bickering and above all, the leaders have been enmeshed in gross corruption, which has become a great threat to the nation’s survival (Kuffuor, 2009). According to Ogundiya (2009), corruption is a huge challenge in the Nigerian public administration. Corruption has eaten deep into every segment of the Nigerian Society is to affirm the obvious. This can be confirmed from the revelations of many probe panels that have been set up at different times by different regimes in the country.
No doubt about this, corruption is at the centre of the crisis in issues like legitimacy, the establishment of a sustainable democratic order, rule of law, national development and the welfare of the citizens in Nigeria. Corruption, simply put, is the major cause for these unending problems of poverty, diseases, hunger and general standard of living in Nigeria (Ogundiya, 2009). Corruption has seriously impeded the growth and effective utilization of resources in the country. With enormous wealth from oil resources, economic, social, and political strength, Nigeria is supposed to be called the giant of Africa. However, Kew (2006) observed that 20 years of brutal and corrupt military rule, which left a legacy of political corruption in the hands of Nigeria’s powerful political elites, who are sitting atop vast patronage networks the nation was subdued to a non-giant status. These elites view governance primarily through the lens of their own personal enrichment and survival rather than national development.
The political and economic structures in Nigeria, seems to be making those who control major government posts stinkingly rich, while 70% of Nigerians fall into a state of abject poverty (Sklar et al, 2006). What these leaders have in common is the brazen disregard for the rule of law, lack of an independent judiciary and legislature. What this has caused is socio-economic stagnation and alienation of the citizenry from the political system (Mayer, 1996). According to Kew (2006), the Nigerian government has not being serving the interest of its people. Politics at the federal, state, and local levels of the Nigerian federation are dominated by powerful elites, who had built many patronage networks during the military days but now use public offices to expand their networks and fortunes. Moreover, many of them have also cultivated personal militias to secure their present positions, which are not serving the national goal of development of Nigeria (Kew, 2006).
In addition, the CLEEN Foundation (2010) revealed other impacts of corruption as lack of mediocrity in leadership and infrastructural development. Other visible signs are; fuel scarcity in an oil-producing nation, then fallen standards of education and work output, high rates of unemployment and the ever-widening gaps between the rich and poor among other factors. Corruption is obviously tarnishing the image of this country at the international level and makes foreign nationals to thread with caution when transacting business with Nigerians, thereby weakening the economic sector. Indeed, the socio-economic and political development of a country depends on its ability entrench and sustain good governance which is expressed in a committed, patriotic and disciplined leadership with a vision to advance in the quest for national development. Sadly, Nigeria has existed for over fifty years with little or no record of such socio-economic and political development. This ugly development can be traced to corruption noted in the country (Lawal and Tobi, 2006). Although there has been various administrative reforms carried out to ensure sustainable good governance, the gains have not been actualised due to corruption among other factors.
At the onset of the fourth republic, in a broadcast to the nation, the President declared that no society could achieve its potentials if corruption is not eradicated. He saw corruption as an enemy to be fought until it retreats. He then assured the citizens that his would be unequivocally committed to transparency and accountability with none to be regarded as sacred cow (Tribune, 1999). However, in spite of the efforts of that regime aimed at establishing Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACAs), the scourge of corruption is still persistence in the country till today, with many Nigerians suffering from its devastating effects on democratisation in the nation. Mohammed (2013) hypothesized that the government of Nigeria took countless measures to address the challenges of corruption and bad governance in the country. These included public service reforms such as the monetization policy, the public procurement standard (Due Process), Anti-Corruption Enforcement Agencies and the sanitization of the financial services sector by the Central Bank, which revealed some mind bulging levels of barefaced theft by the management of several banks in Nigeria. Despite the few successes attributable to these measures, the situation remains unacceptable, as corruption has continued to permeate and pervade every facet of the national life in Nigeria (CLEEN Foundation, 2010).
Corruption has so made the Nigerian society that CLEEN Foundation (2010) declared that anyone who says that corruption in Nigeria has no jaw dropping effect on economy of Nigeria is either a fool; a crook or is in diaspora. To buttress this fact, Transparency International put Nigeria as one of the most corrupt countries in the world in its corruption perception index for 1995 – 1997. In 1999, Nigeria was scored as the second most corrupt nation in the world (Ojaide, 2000). Indeed, corruption has been responsible for Nigeria’s socio- economic and political under-development and there is an urgent need to curb the menace, if the nation must advance in its quest for good governance.
Therefore, in Muhammadu Buhari Administration 2015 to 2020 where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know theAnti-corruption Policy and Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Corruption has reached its highest peak in Nigeria in a way that an average Nigerian now possibly associates democracy with corruption. The implications of political corruption are manifest: cyclical crisis of legitimacy, fragile party structure, institutional decay, chronic economic problem and underdevelopment and, above all, general democratic volatility.
Several events that have been witnessed in Nigeria since the return of democracy in 1999 have shown that the waves of reversal have been wrestling power with Nigeria’s democratic development till date. Consequently, democracy has remained grossly unstable and the future seems to be very bleak because of rampant systemic bureaucratic and political corruption. Then, what are the effects of corruption on democratization in Nigeria? This shall be discussed paying attention to the effects of corruption on Nigeria’s development from 2015-2022.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to investigate the Anti-corruption Policy and Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria using Muhammadu Buhari Administration 2015 to 2020 as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To investigate the relationship between Anti-corruption Policy and Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria from 2015-2022
- To understand the factors that affect the process of consolidation of Anti-corruption Policy and democracy from 2015-2022
- To show the implications of anti-corruption on democracy in Nigeria from 2015-2022
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- What is the relationship between Anti-corruption Policy and Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria from 2015-2022?
- What are the factors that affect the process of consolidation of Anti-corruption Policy and democracy from 2015-2022?
- What are the implications of anti-corruption on democracy in Nigeria from 2015-2022?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
- H0: There is no significant relationship between Anti-corruption Policy and Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria from 2015-2022
- H1: There is a significant relationship between Anti-corruption Policy and Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria from 2015-2022
1.7 Significance of Study
This study will contribute to understanding the challenges faced with democratization and anti-corruption in Nigeria. The study also contributes to theory by providing information on various theories on political development through the good governance as well as the democracy as a whole which adds more value. The information contained in this report will also be of use in providing empirical evidence on the relationship between democratization and corruption in Nigeria. It will be of use to other studies within the political arena.
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.8 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Anti-corruption Policy and Democratic Consolidation in Nigeria using Muhammadu Buhari Administration 2015 to 2020 as a case study.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
