I have been reading this discourse on what the new government should do about corruption in Nigeria with great interest. However, I have not been able to respond or participate in the discussion because of several reasons. The most important reasons are: (1) I have been very busy during the last eight weeks and I have not had the time to devote to such an important governance issue. (2) We have had this conversation on this forum before--that is, the conversation on corruption in Nigeria. In each case, we seem to be asking the wrong questions. I finally decided to come in at this moment with the hope that we can focus on what is actually at issue regarding the future of Nigeria and other countries when it comes to governance and government capacity to deliver public goods and services efficiently, equitably and without any capriciousness.
Historians of Nigerian political economy will recall that alleged corruption and venality in the public sector was the most compelling reason given by Col. Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and his fellow coup plotters to the Nigerian public to justify their decision to intervene militarily and overthrow the Government of the First Republic. Subsequently, from 1967 to 1999, virtually all Nigerian coup plotters have rehashed the same speech delivered by Col. Nzeogwu in which they have also emphasized rising public venality as their reason to overthrow the government. Yet, through the efforts of all these extremely powerful leaders, Nigeria has not yet been able to deal fully and effectively with endemic and pervasive corruption. In fact, corruption remains the most important constraint to human development in the country and the single most important reason why the majority of citizens do not trust or have faith in the government.
Before anyone makes this the problem of any one administration, read the history of corruption in Nigeria and you will soon discover that no one regime since 1960 can claim to have been able to fully deal with the problem. The question, then, is why? The answer lies in understanding the nature of "institutional failure" in Nigeria. Tersely put, the country, since independence, has not been able to provide itself with institutional arrangements that are capable of dealing effectively with corruption. While "good leadership" is necessary for effective governance in general and corruption eradication in particular, it is not sufficient. Sufficiency requires that the country (this is true of any country, not just Nigeria) provide itself with institutional arrangements that adequately constrain the state and hence, its custodians (i.e., civil servants and politicians). Without such effective constraints, corruption and maladministration will remain endemic problems no matter how good the president is or how strong the army is.
For those on this forum who are serious about the problem of corruption in Nigeria or those who want to help the present administration begin the process of dealing fully and effectively with corruption and the governance issues that arise from the pervasiveness of corruption and other forms of political opportunism in the country, I suggest the following:
(1) Read Toyin Falola's excellent essays on the history of corruption in Nigeria in Mbaku, J. M. (ed.), Corruption and the Crisis of Institutional Reforms in Africa (New York: Edwin Mellen Press, 1998). This background analysis is critical for there to be a robust and fruitful discussion on the relevant issues. Then, follow that by
(2) Mbaku, J.M., "Corruption Cleanups in Africa: Lessons from Public Choice Theory, Journal of Asian and African Studies, Vol. 43 (2008): 427-456 & Mbaku, J.M., "Bureaucratic Corruption in Africa: The Futility of Cleanups," Cato Journal, Vol. 16, No. 1 (1996): 99-118). These two papers summarize the issues and place corruption in its proper context and then deal with the relationship between institutional failure and corruption cleanups.
(3) For those who are interested in a much longer and comprehensive treatment, please read the following: Mbaku, J.M., Corruption in Africa: Causes, Consequences, and Cleanups (Lanham, MD & London, UK: Lexington Books, 2007, 2010) & Mbaku, J.M., "Providing a Foundation for Wealth Creation and Development in Africa: The Role of the Rule of Law," Brooklyn Journal of International Law, Vol. 38, No. 3 (2013): 959-1049.
On Sun, Aug 2, 2015 at 7:14 AM, 'Ikhide' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:
--"A Nigerian Professor once declared in a provocative manner "it is not just a fact that Nigerian government officials are corrupt, it is also a fact that in Nigeria, corruption is official!" To those who understand the historical interconnectedness of the unlimited abnormalities that have become a norm in Nigeria, they will simply agree that this professor aptly captures the reality of our present day Nigeria with those few words. Indeed, corruption has become an official way of life in Nigeria and that is one reason why many doubt the ability of President Buhari to tackle this challenge from a cause/bottom-top approach.While Nigerians cry about the effect of corruption in the society, they obviously do not seem to know how it is perpetrated by those in government circles, thereby making it difficult for them to know how to tackle it. Today, I intend to do justice to this. What is the major source of corruption in Nigeria and how can it be tackled?There is a unique kind of corruption in Nigeria which is actually the major method through which our government officials/politicians steal public funds without being detected? It is also because of this method that our courts are finding it difficult to indict them? How has corruption become official in Nigeria?"Good read, great analysis. In Nigeria corruption is a crude form of taxation, a perverse revenue allocation mechanism. It generates business and revenue and employs people. Corruption drives Nigerians economy. Kill graft and if you don't replace it with sustainable processes you have killed Nigeria. I would say anecdotally that most Nigerians in Nigeria cannot survive without corruption. It is steeped in our culture and way of life. Go to any funeral or wedding and you will see that out politicians are the least of our problems. We are the problem.
- Ikhide
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JOHN MUKUM MBAKU, ESQ.
J.D. (Law), Ph.D. (Economics)
Graduate Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law
Nonresident Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Attorney & Counselor at Law (Licensed in Utah)
Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor of Economics & Willard L. Eccles Professor of Economics and John S. Hinckley Fellow
Department of Economics
Weber State University
1337 Edvalson Street, Dept. 3807
Ogden, UT 84408-3807, USA
(801) 626-7442 Phone
(801) 626-7423 Fax
J.D. (Law), Ph.D. (Economics)
Graduate Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law
Nonresident Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution
Attorney & Counselor at Law (Licensed in Utah)
Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor of Economics & Willard L. Eccles Professor of Economics and John S. Hinckley Fellow
Department of Economics
Weber State University
1337 Edvalson Street, Dept. 3807
Ogden, UT 84408-3807, USA
(801) 626-7442 Phone
(801) 626-7423 Fax
Listserv moderated by Toyin Falola, University of Texas at Austin
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