The phenomenon of corruption is as old as human history; and it can well be argued that the problem of grand corruption in Nigeria did not attain its all-pervasive status during the colonial era. According to Tignor, ‘concerns about corruption were seen as one of the reasons colonial rule was needed as it provided good government in place of oppression and chaos’. On the contrary, Osoba argues that the British colonial administration laid the foundation of what metamorphosed today as endemic grand corruption emphasising that ‘corruption in Nigeria is a kind of social virus which is a hybrid of traits of fraudulent anti-social behaviour derived from British colonial rule and those derived from, and nurtured in the indigenous Nigerian context’.
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The colonial administration made no effort to sanction them despite the overwhelming evidence against them. This episode sent a wrong signal that ‘corruption was not simply an objective reality, standing on its own. It became a symbol and a metaphor, constructed in the midst of political competition’. This supports the view that the foundation laid by the British colonial authority could be argued to be primarily a political structure which allows and at times even encourages corruption. This chapter argues that these incidents marked the beginning of grand/official corruption in Nigeria, a clear indication of a privatised/oligarchic state. Johnston defines such state as ‘appropriated to the service of private interests by the dominant faction of the elite’. In this regard, Daniel Agbiboa suggests that ‘the failure of the political elites who took over power from the colonialists complicated matters in the postcolonial period, due to their failure to address the root of these problems and, particularly, their inability to transform … social structures … …show more content…
Grand corruption was pervasive with records of abuse of office, personal material aggrandisement, kickbacks, nepotism, awarding contracts to front companies, lodging public funds into private accounts, over invoicing, approval of substandard projects, disregard of due process, bribery, fraud, stealing and misappropriation of public funds. Okonkwo submits ‘the First Republic, with Azikiwe as the President, was marked by widespread corruption. Government officials looted public funds with impunity. Federal representative and Minister of Aviation, KO Mbadiwe, flaunted his wealth by building a palace in his hometown ... Minister of Finance Chief FS Okotie- Eboh responded to charges of accumulation of wealth by government officers by quoting from the Bible, “To those that have, more shall be given. From those that do not have, shall be taken even the little they
The colonial administration made no effort to sanction them despite the overwhelming evidence against them. This episode sent a wrong signal that ‘corruption was not simply an objective reality, standing on its own. It became a symbol and a metaphor, constructed in the midst of political competition’. This supports the view that the foundation laid by the British colonial authority could be argued to be primarily a political structure which allows and at times even encourages corruption. This chapter argues that these incidents marked the beginning of grand/official corruption in Nigeria, a clear indication of a privatised/oligarchic state. Johnston defines such state as ‘appropriated to the service of private interests by the dominant faction of the elite’. In this regard, Daniel Agbiboa suggests that ‘the failure of the political elites who took over power from the colonialists complicated matters in the postcolonial period, due to their failure to address the root of these problems and, particularly, their inability to transform … social structures … …show more content…
Grand corruption was pervasive with records of abuse of office, personal material aggrandisement, kickbacks, nepotism, awarding contracts to front companies, lodging public funds into private accounts, over invoicing, approval of substandard projects, disregard of due process, bribery, fraud, stealing and misappropriation of public funds. Okonkwo submits ‘the First Republic, with Azikiwe as the President, was marked by widespread corruption. Government officials looted public funds with impunity. Federal representative and Minister of Aviation, KO Mbadiwe, flaunted his wealth by building a palace in his hometown ... Minister of Finance Chief FS Okotie- Eboh responded to charges of accumulation of wealth by government officers by quoting from the Bible, “To those that have, more shall be given. From those that do not have, shall be taken even the little they