Why Corruption in Nigeria? Experts’ Accounts on the Occurrences and Persistence

Abstract

Corruption is increasingly becoming commonplace in Nigeria. Recent discoveries of hidden corrupt funds in Nigeria by anti-corruption agencies, particularly the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), give insight into how severe the menace has become. The amount recovered during the early part of 2017 is shocking, despite the renewed effort to fight corruption by the present administration in Nigeria and, by extension, past governments. This has prompted the question of why corruption occurs and persists in Nigeria. To satisfy this urge, we believe that getting those involved in corruption will be of great significance in unraveling the reality of the issue. However, thoughtfully considering the situation in Nigeria, where, in most instances, even those caught in corrupt acts with overwhelming evidence often deny being corrupt and are ever ready to go to any length in proving their innocence, we oblige for a workable alternative, which is to meet experts from the anti-corruption agencies and get their perspectives on this. We believe that through these experts, who have been interacting with corrupt officers as investigators and prosecutors, the reality of the matter will be revealed. Their experiences and understanding of the anti-corruption efforts can lead us to uncover why the occurrences and persistence of corruption in Nigeria. In achieving this goal, we conducted in-depth face-to-face interviews with the two anti-corruption bodies. Using thematic analysis, we find that six reasons explain why corruption occurs and then persists in Nigeria.