Manifestations and impacts of corruption on democratic governance in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigeria is one of the blessed countries in African continent with natural, human and material resources and the second largest economy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Despite the Nigeria‘s huge oil wealth, the country has remained highly underdeveloped, lithered with infrastructural decay, insecurity while poor governance and service delivery have hindered economic growth thus leaving the general public in abject poverty. This horrible and pitiable condition is not unconnected with the manifestation and unmitigated level of corruption in the country. It was on this that this paper examined the manifestations and impacts of corruption on democratic governance in Nigeria. The paper made use of secondary data and adopted the elite theory as the theoretical framework for its analysis. It posited that corruption is the bane of Nigeria‘s underdevelopment such that it has eaten deep into all facets of the Nigerian society. This in consequence placed the wealth of the nation in wrong hands, wastage of scarce resources which disrupts services delivery and high cost of governance. The paper suggested stringent punishment for corrupt acts, reform to be institutionalized to increase transparency, accountability and good governance and implementation of other institutional reforms that would lay solid foundation for economic development.

Keywords: Accountability, Bureaucracy, Democracy, Economy, Institution, Nigeria