The Struggle Against Corruption

Imagine living in a country where you were denied access to healthcare, education, legal protection, and other necessary public services because you refused to pay a bribe. The citizens of Nigeria are restricted from accessing assistance from the government. Those in poverty are struggling to afford necessities such as food, water, and medicine. Bribes prevent them from receiving essential services from the government that are crucial to their survival because they cannot afford to pay the extra money for aid they require (“Citizens”). Transparency International rates Nigeria 26 out of 100 on the corruption perception index, zero being ranked “highly corrupt.” The lowest-performing region was Sub-Saharan Africa, and Nigeria was ranked the fourth worst out of the nineteen countries in this area (Iroanusi). Corruption is a widespread problem in Nigeria that is harming its citizens, yet people continue to resist anti-corruption measures.

Currently, corruption is threatening Nigeria’s economy, the freedom of speech and press, and the certainty of prosecution. It is projected that Nigeria will need approximately two trillion dollars to develop its infrastructure in the following thirty years. Despite this, they are losing billions of dollars each year due to corruption. In 2013, nearly thirteen billion dollars were lost to Nigerian scams (Mwantok). Additionally, the citizens of Nigeria are not granted freedom of speech and press to share their opinions about the government. Since 2015, journalists and human rights activists have been harassed, arrested, and insulted because of their posts and reports (Iroanusi). The National Orientation Agency is in charge of communicating information from the government, yet they are known for spreading propaganda and false information (Ilo). Furthermore, corruption prevails, despite the efforts of the government, because there is no guarantee that these criminals will be prosecuted. Cover-ups of government officials involved in corruption scandals are common, but they are never investigated because having known criminals in positions of power reduces the credibility of Nigeria in the eyes of its citizens and other countries (Iroanusi)(Ilo). People do not hesitate to take part in corruption if they know there is the uncertainty of prosecution and a high probability they will face no punishment (Ilo). Corruption continues to be an active problem in Nigeria because it harms the economy, threatens the freedom of speech and press, and it is likely that the perpetrators will not be penalized.

Despite the benefits of reducing corruption in Nigeria, some citizens and government officials continue to resist anti-corruption policies. Because of the widespread corruption throughout Nigeria, the citizens have become untrusting of their government (Iroanusi). The current president of Nigeria, President Buhari, claims to be dedicated to rooting out corruption in the country. However, the past presidents have made the same empty promises, leading some Nigerian citizens to criticize the anti-corruption policies in place. President Buhari has been accused of being vindictive, selective, and insincere in his policies because of the deep-rooted social unrest in Nigeria (Ilo). While this has not been proven true, Nigerian citizens are still hesitant to accept that President Buhari might have honest intentions. Additionally, it is difficult to pass measures to fight against corruption because of resistance from corrupt government officials. In Nigeria, a chain of corruption has been created where there are politicians in every level of the government who profit through corruption. Some officials benefit from corruption, so they refuse to support laws against it, preventing the measures from being passed. President Buhari is unable to execute policies because he is bound by the never-ending cycle of corruption (Ilo). The problems of corruption cannot be solved if efforts to better Nigeria are resisted by the people and government officials.

With President Buhari leading Nigeria, there is hope for a better future. Buhari hopes to reconstruct the Nigerian economy by increasing revenue through his anti-corruption policies. He focuses on targeting corrupt leaders with the belief that no one is above the law, regardless of their status in society. Nigeria is far from freeing itself from the chains of corruption, but President Buhari’s efforts take the country one step further (Mwantok). In the words of President Buhari, “if Nigeria does not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria.”

Works Cited: “Citizens Speak out about Corruption in Africa.” Www.transparency.org, Transparency International, 11 July 2019, www.transparency.org/news/feature/citizens_speak_out_about_corruption_in_africa. Hanson, Stephanie. “Corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 6 Aug. 2009, www.cfr.org/backgrounder/corruption-sub-saharan-africa. Ilo, Udo Jude. “Anti Corruption — Winning the Battle and the War.” OSIWA, www.osiwa.org/newsroom/anti-corruption-wining-the-battle-and-the-war/. Iroanusi, Queenesther. “Nigeria: Corruption Worsened in Nigeria Since 2018.” All Africa, 4 Feb. 2020, https://allafrica.com/stories/202002050020.html. Mwantok, Margaret. “Anti-Corruption War: Perception and Reality in Branding Nigeria.” The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News, 19 Feb. 2019, https://guardian.ng/features/anti-corruption-war-perception-and-reality-in-branding-nigeria/.