Impact Of Corruption On Political, Socioeconomic And Cultural Development Of Nigeria (1999-2018)

Corruption is a phenomenon that bedeviled national development in Nigeria in all ramifications for many decades. The impacts of corruption have led to many negative consequences that stalled the political, social, economic and cultural development of Nigeria. The problem is the way in which the numerous available resources in the country were stolen by the ruling class depriving the general public of enjoying quality social services. The aim of this work is to study critically the way in which corruption leads to underdevelopment of Nigerian state in the political, economic, social and cultural aspects. The paper is a conceptual theoretical paper which used secondary sources for data analysis. Empiricism was used in collecting data from books, journals, reports and internet sources that are relevant to the area of study. The data obtained was presented in a thematic form using analytical interpretations. The research discovered that corruption has reached a level in Nigeria where it has been institutionalised and officialised to the extent that it is seen as a norm rather than the opposite. As a result, the entire aspects of governance and development have been eroded negatively by corruption politically, economically, socially and culturally. The research, therefore, recommends that for corruption problem to be addressed in Nigeria, there is a serious need for social re-orientation, political will, improved social service delivery and reducing the gap of inequality as well as enforcement of legal regime in sanctioning corrupt practices with severe punishment for the offenders without any fear or favour.