Governance and corruption in Nigeria: A philo- psychological analysis

The menace of corruption in Nigeria is very pervasive with global implications. So pervasive is corruption in Nigeria that almost every aspect of national life is affected one way or the other. The present magnitude of corruption in Nigeria can be traceable to the many years of military rule where due process was not observed in public procurement and contract bidding. Both private and public sectors of the country are affected by various forms of corruption. As a consequence, the impact of governance in the country is impeded and if a check is not put in place, Nigeria will be left behind in the development agenda of world bodies. It is a trite fact that corruption in one place is connected to others, and enabled by systems of weak regulations and poor oversight. Human societies have been known to be bedeviled by corruption but some have been able to combat this menace by putting statutes in place to criminalize corruption and ensure that enforcement mechanism are enabled to act. This paper, therefore, explores public and private sector governance in Nigeria with a view to exposing the various forms of corruption in the country. The position taken in the paper is that corruption plays a dominant role in the development deficit in the country and examined the philosophical and psychological reasons for corruption. Also, x-rayed is the devastating effects of corruption which include underdevelopment, negative image of the country, and impact on the global market. The paper was concluded by questioning the existing anti-corruption strategies in the country and proposing the way they can be made to work.