ABSTRACT
One of the fundamental problems of contemporary
Nigeria is corruption. It has thrived; progressed and flourished unabated
.Corruption has been institutionalized to the point of accepting it as part of
our system. This study examined the incidence of corruption in the Nigerian
Public Service with particular focus on Isiala Mbano LGA from 1999 to 2012.
Specifically, the study investigated whether motivational incentives provided
for civil servants contributes to their greater involvement in corruption in
Imo State from 1999 to 2012. The study also examined the impact of weak
internal control mechanism on the incidence of looting of state treasury by
politicians in Imo State within the same period. We predicated our analysis on
The General Systems Theory, adopting David Easton’s Political System
theory. As for method of data
collection, the study employed qualitative and quantitative method of data
collection. As for sources of data, we principally relied on primary and secondary
sources. The data so generated were analyzed accordingly using Likert measurement scale. The findings reveal that motivational
incentives provided for civil servants contribute to their greater involvement in
corruption. Based on the findings also, weak internal control mechanism was
identified to have contributed to incidence of looting of state treasury by
politicians in Imo State. We therefore recommend adequate motivation of civil
servants through improved salary,prompt payment of all their entitlements and
good working condition, government should strengthen internal control mechanism
to forestall incidence of looting of state treasury which could have been
averted. These recommendations if properly implemented would be a panacea for
eradication of corruption.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to
the Study
1.2 Statement of the
Problem
1.3 Objectives of the Study
1.4 Significance of
the Study
1.5 Hypotheses:
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The Impact of Motivation
on Corruption in Nigerian Public Service
2.3 Corruption in the Isiala
Mbano LGA
2.4 The Impact
of Weak Internal Control Mechanism on the incidence of looting of State Treasury
by politicians
2.4.1 Internal audit
system as a financial control mechanism in the Nigerian public service:
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Theoretical
Framework
3.3 Research Design
3.4 Method of Data
Collection
3.5. Method of Data
Analysis
CHAPTER FOUR
MOTIVATION AND THE
INVOLVEMENT OF CIVIL SERVANTS IN CORRUPTION
IN IMO STATE
4.1 Civil Servants
and their involvement in corruption in Nigeria
4.2 Motivation of Civil
Servants and Corruption in Imo State
CHAPTER FIVE
WEAK INTERNAL CONTROL
MECHANISMS AND LOOTING OF STATE
TREASURY BY
POLITICIANS IN IMO STATE
5.1 The Impact
of Internal Control Mechanism on Incidence of Looting of State Treasury by
Politicians in Imo State
5.2 The
Performance of Internal Audit System on Incidence of Looting of State Treasury
by Politicians in Imo State.
CHAPTER SIX
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION
AND RECOMMENDATION
6.1 Summary
6.2 Conclusion
6.3 Recommendations
REFERENCES
QUESTIONNAIRE
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
One of the greatest problems of Nigerian public
service is the prevailing incidence of corruption. Corruption therefore has
become a persistent cancerous phenomenon which bedevils Nigeria public sector.
Misappropriation, bribery, embezzlement, nepotism, and money laundering by
public officials have permeated the fabric of the society. Any attempt to
understand the tragedy of development and the challenges to democracy in most
developing countries (Nigeria inclusive), must come to grips with the problem
of corruption and stupendous wastage of scarce resources. This is not to
suggest that corruption and prodigality are peculiar to the developing
countries. Certainly, corruption is neither culture specific nor system bound.
It is ubiquitous.
However, the severity and its devastating impact vary
from one system to the other. The impact is undoubtedly more severe and
devastating in the developing world with weak economic base, fragile political
institutions and inadequate control mechanisms. According to the Executive
Director, Office of Drugs and Crime at the United Nations, Dr. Antonio Maria
Costa, about US $400 billion was stolen from Nigeria and stashed away in
foreign banks by past corrupt leaders before the return to democratic rule in
1999 (http://allafrica.com). Most people would argue that poverty definitely
contributes to corruption. In many poor countries, the wages of public and
private sector workers is not sufficient for them to survive (Otive, 2008).
It is ironic that Nigeria is the sixth largest exporter
of oil and at the same time hosts the third largest number of poor people after
China and India. Statistics show that the incidence of poverty, using the rate
of US $1 per day, increased from 28.1% in 1980 to 46.3% in 1985 and declined to
42.7% in 1992 but increased again to 65.6% in 1996 (Obasanjo, 1995). The
incidence increased to 69.2% in 1999 (CBN, 1999:95). If the rate of US $2 per
day is used to measure the poverty level, the percentage of those living below
poverty line will jump to 90.8%.
It is against this background that sectoral
distribution of the nationwide corruption survey in the Nigeria Corruption
Index (NCI) 2007 identified the Nigerian Police as the most corrupt
organization in the country, closely followed by the Power Holding Company of
Nigeria (PHCN). Corruption in the Education Ministry was found to have
increased from 63 per cent in 2005 to 74 per cent in 2007, as against 96 per
cent to 99 per cent for the Police in the corresponding period. The Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC), was the only new organization identified
as corrupt among the 16 organizations on a list which included Joint Admission
and Matriculation Board, the Presidency, and the Nigerian National Petroleum
Commission (NNPC).While the Federal Road Safety
Commission (FRSC) and the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) have been
identified as the least corrupt organizations with respect to bribe taking from
the populace as at June 2007 (Abimbola, 2007).
Corruption has therefore reached an unprecedented
level in Nigeria. It has pervaded every facet of the nation and has even
metamorphosed into a way of life for most Nigerians. The Nigerian civil service
has the potential to transform the
collective challenge of Nigeria as a nation if its immense energies are
properly harnessed; but the situation seems different after its radical reform
between 1960 and 1976; during which period, the civil servants were in control
of government political process due to the emergence of military rulers in
political administration prevailing in the African continent then, coupled with
their lack of experience of political leadership in governance. Some scholars
blame the institutionalization of corruption in Nigeria on military rule.
Amongst these scholars is Ribadu (2006:1) who asserted that:
The history of corruption in
Nigeria is strongly rooted in the over 29 years of military rule, out of 46
years of her statehood successive
military regimes facilitated the wanton looting of the public treasury, decapitated
institutions and free speech and instituted a secret and opaque culture in the
running of government business. The result was total insecurity, poor economic
management, abuse of human rights, ethnic conflicts and capital flight.
Against the above views of Ribadu however, are also
other contending postulations that did not restrict the issues of corruption in
Nigeria to preponderance of military rule in Nigeria alone. In this regard,
Yinusa and Akanle (2008:297) have asserted that:
Corruption has become a way of life
in Nigeria, which no one can ignore. Corruption and cronyism have long haunted
Nigeria while military has been castigated for generally misruling the country.
It must be noted that the military did not emerge from another planet. They are
made up of people who come from the various parts of the country and therefore
are a reflection of the society. The first, second and third Republics failed
essentially due to corruption from our political gladiators.
From the above views; it is evident that corruption
has permeated every facet of our national life; and has remained unabated under
both the military and civilian administrations in the country.
However, there have been efforts aimed at curbing the
menace of corruption in Nigeria. This anti-corruption war in Nigeria dates to a
very long time. The fight against corruption in Nigeria one must acknowledge,
is one of the most daunting and challenging task to embark on, but with
political will and commitment by her leaders and the right attitude by all
Nigerians there is no doubt that someday, the Transparency International will
in her report rank Nigeria as one of the least corrupt countries in the world
(Ameh, 2007).
Every community in Nigeria has mechanisms for dealing
with corruption with appropriate sanctions for corruption. The anti-corruption
fight in the public sector came to the limelight in 1966 when the military
identified corruption of the politicians as one of the reasons for taking over
political power. Each of the past regimes contributed to the problem of
corruption. According to Nwaka (2003), corruption became legitimized,
especially during the Babangida and Abacha regimes (1985-1998), with huge
revenues, but wasteful spending, and nothing to show in terms of physical
developments.
Experience has shown that the military is probably
more corrupt than civilian politicians.
The military ruled Nigeria from 1966-1979 and handed over power to
Alhaji Shehu Shagari administration in 1979. But barely four years later, the
Shagari administration was overthrown by the Buhari/Idiabgon regime. The
Buhari/Idiagbon regime launched a war against corruption, tried and jailed many
politicians and dismissed many civil servants. But when the Ibrahim Babangida
regime overthrew the Buhari regime, it released many of the politicians that
were jailed by the Buhari regime and reduced the sentences of others.
In fact, it has been argued that “Babangida’s
government was unique in its unconcern about corruption within its ranks and
among public servants generally; it was as if the government existed so that
corruption might thrive (Gboyega, 1996). Scholars no doubt agree that
corruption reached unprecedented levels in incidence and magnitude during
General Ibrahim Babangida’s regime. It is ironic that the regime also had its
own re-orientation and anticorruption programme, christened MAMSER. By the time
President Olusegun Obasanjo came back to power as a civilian President in 1999,
corruption had reached unprecedented proportion that it formed a major portion
of his inaugural speech.
Ideally, in a democratic setting like Nigeria, the
public service consists of the civil service, parastatals and agencies with
structure that is systematically patterned to serve as a lasting instrument
through which the government drives, regulates and manages all aspects of the
society. However, the Nigerian public service has performed below the
expectations of the public as a result of corruption in the service. Thus,
corruption has become a cog in the wheel of efficient and effective service
delivery. Corruption has eaten so deep
into Nigeria that corrupt practices are even encouraged in most businesses
(private or public) nowadays. Nigeria is the major oil producer in the world,
but the average Nigerian on the street is poor and there is poor infrastructure
like power supply, roads, schools, hospitals etc. The Nigerian public service
is filled with stories of wrong practices such as stories of ghost workers on
the pay roll of Ministries, Extra-ministerial Departments and Parastatals, frauds,
embezzlements and setting ablaze of offices housing sensitive documents and
award of contracts without recourse to due process mechanisms (Okwoli, 2004).
According to Bello (2001), huge amount of Naira is lost through one financial
malpractice or the other in the country, which to say the least, drains the
nation’s meager resources through fraudulent means with far-reaching and
attendant consequences on the development or even socio-economic or political
programmes of Nigeria. Billions of Naira is lost in the public sector every
year through fraudulent means. This represents only the amount that is ferreted
out and made public. Indeed much more substantial or huge sums are lost in
undetected frauds or those that are for one reason or the hushed up.
Appah and Appiah (2010) argues that cases of fraud is
prevalent in the Nigerian public sector that every segment of the public
service, could seem to be involved in one way or the other in some of these
nasty acts.
A cursory look at the Nigeria public service further
indicates poor public service delivery which manifests in corrupt practices
such as distortion of official records, forgery of official documents like
collection of taxes with fake receipts in which such revenue is not paid into
the public treasury but pocketed by the individual official, falsification of
their official age, the insistence by public servants for monetary and material
gratification from their client before carrying out their official
responsibilities for which they are being paid still persist in the Service.
Furthermore, civil service recruitments and promotions do not often go to the
best qualified persons but to “political clients”, who keep their jobs not by
being efficient but by “maintaining their loyalty.
In the light of the foregoing, the study examines the
incidence of corruption in the Nigerian public service focusing essentially on Isiala
Mbano LGA from 1999 to 2012.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The unsatisfactory service delivery of the public service
in developing countries has spurred controversies among practitioners and
scholars alike in the field of social science. In fact, scholars have made
efforts to ascertain the factors that impinge on effective and efficient
service delivery yet all efforts proved abortive. Since Governments all over
the world exist to provide goods and services (public goods) for its citizens
with the primary aim of improving their living condition. The major vehicle of
translating these laudable concerns into a reality rests squarely on public
service that is efficient, effective and result-oriented. The civil service is
vital to the translation of government policies into tangible programmes of
action, for the attainment of the goals of social and economic transformation,
it provides the administrative machinery of governance through which the agenda
of political leaders are realized and implemented.
This explains why increasing emphasis and focus have
been on administrative reforms by governments the world-over, especially in the
developing economies like Nigeria in order to meet challenges of growth and
development that have been impinged by the forces of corruption. In the same
vein, the civil service was created to articulate, formulate and implement the
policies and programmes of government which would translate into socio-economic
and political development of Imo State.
The emergence of Isiala Mbano LGA started from the
creation of Imo State as one of the seven additional states by the Federal
Military Government on February 1976 during General Murtala Muhammed regime.
Formerly, the area Imo State was part of the defunct East Central
State that was created in 1967. Since its establishment in 1967,the Isiala
Mbano LGA has emerged over the years as the most critical and crucial part of
development and democratic stability in the State. Hence, they have made
significant input in political process. Truly, as a vehicle and machinery of
public policy formulation and implementation, the Isiala Mbano LGA acts as
catalyst for crystallizing the shared goals of the citizenry.
This notwithstanding, corruption has been identified
as a major hindrance to effective and efficient service delivery despite
internal mechanisms and institutions put in place to checkmate corrupt practices
in Imo State. Corruption has eaten so deep into the State that corrupt
practices are even encouraged in most businesses (private or public) nowadays.
Imo State is the one of oil producing States in the country, but the average
Imolite on the street is poor and there is poor infrastructure like power
supply, roads, schools, hospitals etc. The State is filled with stories of
wrong practices such as stories of ghost workers on the pay roll of Ministries,
Extraministerial Departments and Parastatals, frauds, embezzlements and setting
ablaze of offices housing sensitive documents and award of contracts without
recourse to due process mechanisms. Again, huge amount of Naira is lost through
one financial malpractice or the other in Imo State, which to say the least,
drains the State’s meager resources through fraudulent means with far-reaching
and attendant consequences on the development or even socioeconomic or
political programmes of the government. Billions of Naira is lost in the public
sector every year through fraudulent means. This represents only the amount
that is ferreted out and made public. Indeed much more substantial or huge sums
are lost in undetected frauds or those that are for one reason or the hushed
up. Appah and Appiah (2010) argues that cases of fraud is prevalent in the
Nigerian public sector that every segment of the public service, could seem to
be involved in one way or the other in some of these nasty acts.
A cursory look
at the Isiala Mbano LGA further indicates poor public service delivery which
manifests in corrupt practices such as distortion of official records, forgery
of official documents like collection of taxes with fake receipts in which such
revenue is not paid into the public treasury but pocketed by the individual
official, falsification of their official age, the insistence by public
servants for monetary and material gratification from their client before
carrying out their official responsibilities for which they are being paid
still persist in the service. Furthermore, civil service recruitments and
promotions do not often go to the best qualified persons but to “political
clients”, who keep their jobs not by being efficient but by “maintaining their
loyalty.
Various reasons have been advanced by scholars to
justify the persistence of the incidences of corruption in the Nigerian public
service. Among these scholars is Yelwa (2011), who attributed the persistent
rise in the incidences of corruption to the level of poverty, gross income
inequality and general low quality of life of Nigerian people. Thus, the
involvement of civil servants in corruption was inevitable in order to survive
the harsh economic situation in the country. To Nwachukwu (1999), the
persistent rise in the incidences of corruption could be as a result of faulty
salary structure and retirement benefits and hence, has compelled many honest
civil servants into dipping their hands in governments’ coffers in an attempt
to plan for retirement without payment of benefits. Similarly, Ocheje (2000) is
of the view that the incidence of corruption has persisted due to
administrative structures development which has been accompanied with lack of
transparency and accountability arising from an over-bloated public service
that is bedeviled with excessive bureaucracy and red-tapism.
In the light of the above, Ademolekun (2002) asserted
that lack of culture of accountability and weak institutional structure has
resulted to the persistence of the incidence of corruption in Nigeria.
In spite of the numerous reforms carried out by
successive regimes, it is sad to note today, that in reality, previous efforts
to re-orientate the civil lethargic and negative attitude of many civil
servants have not yielded the desired result. Efforts to improve their
accountability and productivity have also failed. Today the civil service and
civil servants are once again under attack and have been accused of corruption,
indolence, nepotism and ignorance with complete abandonment of civility coupled
with lack of commitment to doing a full day’s job for a full day’s pay.
Absenteeism and malingering have become the norm while graft is rife. The
public can hardly get any service without being frustrated or coerced to offer
a bribe, making the civil service an extortionist’s haven (New Age, 7th
Sept. 2005).
Despite all the internal control mechanisms and
institutions established to check-mate incidences of corruption in the Nigerian
public service, it is evident that civil servants’ involvement in corruption
still persists. In the light of this, though efforts have been variously made
by scholars to evaluate the involvement of civil servants in corruption, the
existing inquiries are hamstrung because studies in this area have not
adequately evaluated the impact of motivation on corruption in the Nigerian
public service and the role of internal control mechanisms on the incidences of
corruption in the Nigerian public service. The existing inquiries in this
direction did not cover the period of this study, that is, 1999 to 2012, and
more specifically, did not focus particularly on Isiala Mbano LGA.
It is indeed this gap that exists in literature that
we seek to fill within the context of the following questions:
1. Do
motivational incentives provided for civil servants contribute to their greater
involvement in corruption in Imo State from 1999 to 2012?
2. Do weak
internal control mechanism in the Isiala Mbano LGA account for the incidence of
looting of State treasury by politicians in the Imo State from 1999 to 2012?
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The broad objective of this study is to examine the
incidence of corruption in the Nigerian public service focusing essentially on Isiala
Mbano LGA from 1999 to 2012.
Specifically, the study intends to achieve the
following objectives:
1. To
determine if the motivational incentives provided for civil servants contribute
to their greater involvement in corruption in Imo State from 1999 to 2012.
2. To
ascertain if weak internal control mechanism in the Isiala Mbano LGA accounts
for the incidence of looting of State treasury by politicians in Imo State from
1999 to 2012.
1.4 Significance of the Study
The study has both theoretical and practical
significance. Theoretically, the study will fill the gap in knowledge and in
literature which exist in corruption in the Nigerian public service. This study
will boost literature on the effect of sound financial management and adequate
motivation of civil servants on corruption in Imo State public service.
Practically, the findings of this study will be
beneficial to the Nigerian government, the Imo State Head of Service, Isiala
Mbano LGA Commission and Civil Servants, and the general public in the
following ways -
By this study, citizens will come
to the realization that combating corruption is an inseparable requirement in
the ongoing process of enhancing the efficiency, effectiveness and productivity
of the Nigerian Public Service.
Through this study also government
will be galvanized to put in place measures that will prevent and reduce future
corrupt practices in the Nigerian Public Service so as to ensure efficient and
effective delivery of public goods and services. Thus, it would serve as a
reference point for policy makers.
1.5 Hypotheses:
This study is guided by the following hypotheses:
1. Motivational
incentives provided for civil servants contribute to their greater involvement
in corruption in Imo State from 1999 to 2012.
Weak Internal control mechanisms in the Isiala Mbano LGA account for the
incidence of looting of State treasury by politician in Imo State from 1999 to
2012.
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