ABSTRACT
The major purpose of this study
was to examine the political corruption and its effect in the Nigerian
government and politics. The study looked into political levies of Anambra
state citizens being the case study of the work. For comprehensive
understanding of the place and its impact of this study. The work has been
divided into five chapters. In chapter one, comprises of statement of problems,
significance of the study, purpose and research of the study and others. In
chapter two comprises of the causes of corruption and poverty in Nigeria,
Nigeria’s political godfathers, the evils of corruption, the effects of
corruption in Nigeria which had put the federation into high jump from 1999-2010
in Nigeria especially Anambra state. In the same chapter two we have another
concept which is madness of second tenure system in Nigeria government as a
major causes. In chapter five we have the recommendations and suggestions based
on the findings from the research work from 2000 -2010 political lives of
Nigerian citizens.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title
Approval
………………………….....……………..………..………….……i
Dedication
………………………………………..……...…………….……ii
Acknowledgement
……………………………….…………………...……iii
Abstract
……………………………….…………………...….................…iv
Table
of content ……………………………………..………………....……v
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
………………………………………………..…....……1
1.0 Background of the
study…………………………………..….....……1
1.1 Statement of the problem…………………………………....…..……7
1.2 Purpose of the
study…………………………………..……........……9
1.3 Research
question…………………………………..….............……12
1.4 Significance of the………………………………...……….…..……13
1.5 Theoretical framework……………………………....................……15
1.6 Scope of the study………………………………………….…..……17
1.7 Limitation of the study…………………………………….…..……18
1.8 Definition of terms ……………………………………….…..……19
CHAPTER TWO
2.1 Literature Review ……………………………………….…..…...…23
2.2 Corruption and poverty in Nigeria
.....................................................27
2.3 Nigeria’s political godfathers
.............................................................28
2.4 The effects of corruption ....................................................................30
2.5 The evil of corruption ........................................................................31
2.6 Madness of second tenure system March 8,
2006..............................33
CHAPTER THREE
3.1 Design of the study ............................................................................34
3.2 Area of the study.................................................................................35
3.3 Population of the study.......................................................................35
3.4 Sample / sampling techniques
............................................................36
3.5 Instrument for data collection
............................................................37
3.6 Reliability and validity of the instrument
..........................................37
3.7 Distribution and retrieval of the
instrument .......................................37
3.8 Method of data analysis .....................................................................38
CHAPTER FOUR
4.1 Data presentation.................................................................................39
4.2 Interpretation of Result.......................................................................44
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 Summary of findings
..........................................................................44
5.2 Conclusion
.........................................................................................47
5.3 Recommendation ....
..........................................................................49
Reference ...........................................................................................53
Appendix
...........................................................................................54
Questionnaire
....................................................................................55
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 BACKGROUND
OF THE STUDY
Nigeria and political corruption – 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 officials misuse of resources, embezzlement of funds, looting of government
property for personal enrichment “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 ignorale corrupt practices in the country over the years, the country
has seen its wealth withered with little to show in living condition of the
common man.
In
this view, a Nigerian political leader, Obafemi Awolowo raised a salent issue
when he said since independence, 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. Characteristically, apologist for the
failings of African governments have blamed colonist for the pervasive
corruption. According to this view, the nations’ colonial history may have
restricted any easily influence in an ethnical revolution through out the
colonial period. most Nigerians were stunk in ignorance and poverty. The
trapping of flash cars, houses and success of the colonialists many influence
the poor to see the colonialist as symbols of success and to emulate the
colonists in different politicla ways.
Involvement
in the agenda of colonial rule may also inhibit idealism in the easily stage of
the nascent nations’ development. A view common held during the colonial days
was that the colonists property (cars, houses, farms etc) is not our property.
Thus
vandalism and looting of public property was not seen as a crime against
society.
This
view is what has degenerated into them or sent disregard for public property
and lack of public trust and concern for public goods as collective national
property.
According
to Sen (1999 p. 225) states that corruption is “an effort to secure wealth or
power through illegal means private gain at public expenses or a misuse of
public power for private benefit”.
Therefore
electoral corruption includes the purchase of vote with money, promises of
offices or special favours, coercion, intimidation and interference with
freedom of election (Nigeria is a good example where this practice is common,
botes are bought, people are killed or maimed in the name of election, losers
end up as the winners where voters turns up in areas where vogues were not
cast.
Generally,
the implication of political corruption appears in different forms such as electoral
corruptions, bribery, fraud, embezzlement, extortion, nepotism godfatherism,
favouritism, madness of second tenure system and others.
The
implication of political corruption as an impediment to the economical, social
cultural and political stability is not a recent phenomenon that pervades the
Nigerian state.
It
started as far back as the colonial era among the colonists but grown to its
apex / climax since, the creation of modern public administration in the
country.
There
have been cases of official misuse of resources for personal enrichment.
Nigeria’s political godfathers, which came into existence as a result of
inability of some aspirants of political officers to afford or sources their
fund to run the election political godfathers there are those who are the
powerful wealthy men who sponsor the political aspirants in Nigeria palace
known as political godfathers in which their political fathering activities has
been culminating to political polarizations, political traumas, political
upheavals and political brouhaha which has become the talk of the day.
What
is known as Anambra state today was created as far back as 1991 under the
leadership of Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida, Anambra today is one of the largest
and dominating southeast state and comprises of (21) twenty one local
governments.
Since
19991, the violence, corruption and godfatherrism” occurring elsewhere in
Nigeria have run a rampant in Anambra since then Anambra has been proved by
some political analysis to remain the eyes of the most political corrupt state
in Nigeria in which a wealthy member of Chris Uba is an iconic example of the
godfathers phenomenon in Nigeria as a prove in 2003 Anambra gubernatorial election when PDP candidate Dr. Chris Nwabueze
Ngige was sponsored and financed to rig the 2003 election in Anambra which the
whole world witnessed their high level of electoral rigging, political
irregularities political quagmires, political traumas and political upheavals
as a result of godfatherrism, favoritism second tenure madness, nepotisms and
other. By virtue of this unattainable agreement between Dr. Christ Nwabueze
Ngige and his godfather Christ Uba, the two political gladiators degenerated a
series of political traumas, electoral irregularities riggings, thurgry,
kidnapping, killing, vandalization, false impeachment and all that.
1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Nigeria as a nation is facing serious political corruption
problems namely:
i Lack of political education
ii Godfatherism concept
iii Electoral irregularities
iv Lack of party idealogy
v Political polarizations, upheavals, quagmires,
traumas and brouhaha.
vii Ethnicisms,
nepotism, sectionalism and tribalism among the politicians.
vii Madness of second tenure concept
viii Lack of patriotism among he leaders
ix Marginalization
x High level of insecurity
xi Poverty
at its climax heralding to high level of thugry and violent.
xii Centralization
of power at the state level a case study of Anambra.
From
all indications, challenges are daily, weekly monthly and yearly and may be to
complete in the near future, unless
there is a panel committee set up to eradicate the situation. However, they
have to educate and internalize the masses to a lager extent using electronic
voting system as to ensure transparency, justice, equity, good concense and
free and fair elections. A question just came to my mind now, saying how can
massive thurgry, been reduced in Anambra state election? The answer says that
there should be an adequate provision of job opportunity as to engage the
youths in one job or the other so that it will limit their state of poverty as
an off-shoot of thurgry.
Based on these, the researcher has to
vividly analyze those things that contributes to political corruption and its
effect in Anambra state.
1.2 PURPOSE
OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to examine and provide
the following in depth through analysis of political stability in Nigerian
government and polities.
i To
provide adequate political education to the Anambra youth and other
politicians.
Ii To provide suitable environment to enhance political stabilities.
Iii To give a stop to luke warm concept of
godfatherism in politics.
iv To provide job opportunities to Nigerian
& Anambra youths to reduce the level of poverty which has been an offshoot of massive thurgry and
kidnapping during election.
v To give proper causation and warning to
the fraudulent INEC officials on the side of their electoral fraud and
regulates which has been culminating to political traumas and qaugmire in
Anambra state.
vi To
mandate the state government to delegate power to the local government level as
to enhance mass participation and political enlightment.
vii To
ensure political stability which may conversely heralds to free and fair
election in Anambra state
viii To
encourage electronic voting system in Anambra state for more effective and
efficient politicking and free and fair elections.
Ix To ensure mass participation in the
political activities
x To
ensure adequate party ideology in Nigeria government and politics.
More so, the study has the following aim
to explain why Anambra state elections had never once been conducted free and
fair.
1.3 RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
The researcher put down the following questions when
he was carrying out this project.
i To
what extent does political corruption affects the Anambra state political, social
and economical lives of people?
ii What
ways could the political leaders, followers and INEC officials would be
baptized (improved) so as to
ensure theoretical framework.
There are several ways of studying any phenomenon in
any schoarlarly enquiry inorder to ensure a systematic and objective analysis
for the purpose of this discourse I don’t prehendal theory of democracy working
on the assumption that power is central to politics the starting point of Richard
Joseph Prehendal theory is that the Nigeria political life is entirely
characterized and dominated by corruption Omo O. (1993 p 16) central to
prehenda analysis are the concepts of clietlism and prehendalism. He sees
chetelism as patron diet ties clietlism he further argues is the very channel
throng which one joins the dominant class and a practise which is then seen as
fundamental to the continued enjoyment of the prequisties of that class. He
define prehendalism as the procurement of office of state either through examinations
or as a reward for loyal service to a lord or a rule A critical assignment of
post independent Africa states reveals that to be ruler whether at the federal.
State or local level is to be in charge of the treasury and use the wealth that
properly belongs to the people to legitimately enrich party faithful investors
in elections friends clients and proves godfather allies to sustain a corruption
life style.
From the above prehensalism provide a framework
through which Africa and Nigeria affairs as it relates to corruption and development
can be studied higher equity, transparency, free and fair elections?
iii How can electronics voting system effect
or culminates or heralds to free and fair election in Aambra state?
iv How has godfatherism contributed to the
present high level of political brouhaha, political traumas, political
upheavals in Anambra state?
v How does purchasing of votes, collection
of votes, where and when election was not conducted nor votes being cast
contributes to the electoral malpractices in Anambra state.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This study will be significant in the need to improve
political stability in Nigeria with particular emphasis to Anambra state is
imperative in the following.
i In the
view of improving political equality among the Anambrarians.
ii In the view of eradicating high level of political
illiteracy among the Anambra youths through political education.
iii This study will also be significant in
finding solution to the rampant political thugry, mass kidnapping, frequent
abductions, killing etc.
iv It will also be significant in eradicating
high level of insecurity in Anambra state.
v This study will also be significant in
prohibiting any thing concerning godfatherism in Anambra state.
vi This study will also be significant in
effecting political stabilities thereby resulting to free and fair election
heralding to credible representatives.
vii This study will be significant in giving
room for the state government delegating political, financial and
administrative autonomy to the local government in Anambra state.
viii This study will also be significant in
enlightening Nigerian politicians with party ideology rather than their formal
party without ideology system.
ix It will be significant in leaving little
or no change for political irregularities, electoral fraud and other political
traumas in Nigeria particularly Anambra state.
In this report, the researcher will also be
significant in eradicating of political arsons, kidnapping and other political upheavals
and how Anambra and its neighbouring states can benefit or gain from the
refined effective and efficient political administration both economically,
politically, socially and cultural harmony and stability.
1.5 SCOPE
OF THE STUDY
In studying the political corruption in Nigeria government
and politics, it becomes imperative to confine this to a democratic
dispensation in actualizing transparency, equity, justice, good conscience and
free and fair election to an extent within the constraint of time and of the
study.
Consequently, Anambra
state. government was used as a case study
1.6 LIMITATIONS
OF THE STUDY
Research was not
problem free
In
this work, the researcher was faced or confronted with some major problems
which tampered for hindered the progress of this work. Prominent among these
was the issue of distribution of the questionnaires. The researcher used to go
from local government to local government and from staff to staff, among the
twenty one (21) local government in Anambra state. in research for the solution
to the problem as a result of this, the researcher run these regular visits to
different (Hpm) of the local governments.
More so. adequate explanations was made to explain the
need for questionnaires. The researcher spend more time going from one staff to
the other in various offices in the state, that is time that they are suppose
to use for another thing.
Also
money for transportation to meet them i.e the staff in their various houses and
a times, when you got to some, they will not respond to you some i.e the staff
will just tell you that they do not have time to discuss anything with you
concerning to that now.
1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS
i. Corruption:
in a layman understanding, corruption is defined as a perversion or change from
good to bad. Therefore corrupt behaviour involves violation of established
rules for personal gain and profit (Sen 1999 P. 275). Corruption is also an
effort to secure wealth or power through illegal means for private gain at
public expense or misuse of public power for private benefit
ii Godfathers
in Nigeria: The term godfathers (alkla money bag, alkla loan-shacks) refers
to superfluously very wealthy men (no known women yet) that finance elections.
Note: when the godfathers sponsor election, they normally
cover the government treasury and control the government in order to recoup
their investment.
iii Madness of second Tenure: This simply means
the sit tight system adopted in Nigeria governance where by the governors,
chairpersons, president will be on the government seat and lying or agitating
for second tenure for him to be re-elected into the seat.
iv Political polarization: this simply means
the dividing house (party) into different groups of people with different
opinion or idea, in a state as a result of politics, i.e disapproval among the
individual in the society as in Anambra politics.
v Political Brouhaha and upheavals: this is
unnecessary estimate, criticism or activity especially in news report to show
disapprovals.
vi Electoral corruption: This includes
purchase of votes with money, promises of office or special facours, coercion,
intimidation and interference with freedom of election.
vii Fraud:
It involves some kind of trickery, swindle and detect counterfeiting, acketing,
smuggling and forgery (Ibid Pu).
Viii Embezzlement:
This is theft of public resources by public officials. It is when a state officials
steals from the public institution in which he / she is employed.
ix Extortion:
This is money and other resources extracted by the use of coercion violence or
threats to use force. (Bafart et al 1997, P.11).
x Favouritism:
this is a mechanism of power abuse implying a highly biased distribution of
state resources.
However, this is seen as a natural human productivity to
favour friends, fairly and anybody close and trusted.
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