Political corruption in
Nigeria encompasses the use of
official power and government resources for sordid and disrepute private gain.
Political corruption is not a recent phenomenon that pervades the Nigerian
state, since the creation of modern
public administration in the country, there have been cases of official mis-use of resources for personal enrichment.
[1] The rise of public administration and the discovery of
oil and
natural gas are two major events seen to have led to a litany of ignoble corrupt practices in the country. Over the years, the country has seen its wealth withered with little to show in living conditions of the common man. A Nigerian political leader,
Obafemi Awolowo raised a salient issue when he said, since independence, our governments have been a matter of few holding the cow for the strongest and most cunning to milk, Under those circumstances everybody runs over everybody to make good at the expense of others.
[2] Characteristically, apologists for the failings of African governments have blamed colonialism for the pervasive corruption. According to this view, the nation's colonial history may have restricted any early influence in an ethical revolution. Throughout the
colonial period, most Nigerians were stuck in ignorance and poverty. The trappings of flash cars, houses and success of the colonists may influence the poor to see the colonist as symbols of success and to emulate the colonists in different political ways. Involvement in the agenda of colonial rule may also inhibit
idealism in the early stage of the nascent nation's development.
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