The war against corruption in Nigeria: devouring or sharing the national cake?

That corruption abounds in Nigeria is an indisputable fact (Agbiboa, 2012). The corrupt man is everywhere, the man on the street, the man next door, the man in the church or mosque, the man in the market or the departmental store, the policeman on beat patrol and the soldier at the check point (Okadigbo, 1987). Corruption in Nigeria has passed the alarming and entered the fatal stage (Achebe, 1983). The rate of corruption is so high that the Federal House of Representative in Nigeria is now contemplating hanging for treasury looters as a solution to corruption (Ige, 2016). Corruption is a clog in the wheel of progress in Nigeria and has incessantly frustrated the realization of noble national goals, despite the enormous natural and human resources in Nigeria (Ijewereme, 2015). Corruption cases have been on the increase despite anti – corruption crusades (Izekor & Okaro, 2018). Corruption dynamics in Nigeria reveal that politicians and public office bearers in Nigeria have proven beyond any reasonable doubt that they are not able to translate their anti – corruption “gospel” into action; theirs is to devour rather than share the “national cake”. Today Nigerians continue to languish in extreme poverty and yet Nigeria is one of the few African countries with abundant natural and human resource endowments. Nigerian political leadership (ruling or opposition) should be more serious when dealing with corruption, if economic growth and development is anything to go by in Nigeria. This study seeks to demystify the dynamics of both political and electoral corruption in Nigeria in relation to the Nigerian political landscape. Amongst other policy recommendations, the study urges Nigerian politicians to walk their talk on corruption.