Chatham House, a prominent UK-based policy institute, has refuted recent claims by President Bola Tinubu that his administration has eliminated corruption in Nigeria. In a new report, the institute asserts that systemic corruption remains a major obstacle to Nigeria\u2019s economic growth and institutional integrity, despite over two decades of reform efforts.<\/p>\n
The report, authored by Dr. Leena Hoffmann (Associate Fellow, Africa Programme) and Tommy Hilton (Comment Editor), highlights how corruption is deeply embedded across Nigeria\u2019s political, judicial, and administrative systems. It notes that corruption not only diverts public funds from vital sectors like education, healthcare, and infrastructure, but also fuels poverty, inequality, and social instability.<\/p>\n
This assessment sharply contrasts with President Tinubu\u2019s recent remarks in Brazil, where he credited his administration\u2019s economic reforms with eradicating corruption. \u201cNo more corruption,\u201d Tinubu declared, claiming that Nigeria now has more funds available for the economy.<\/p>\n
However, Chatham House contends that such optimism is misplaced. Citing extensive research from its Social Norms and Accountable Governance (SNAG) project, funded by the MacArthur Foundation, the report describes corruption as a “defining feature” of Nigeria\u2019s governance. It points out that while most Nigerians disapprove of corruption, many still engage in it, viewing it as necessary for survival in a dysfunctional system.<\/p>\n
Key findings from the report include:<\/p>\n
\u25aa\ufe0eNigeria ranks among the 40 most corrupt countries globally, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI).<\/p>\n
\u25aa\ufe0eOn the World Bank\u2019s Control of Corruption Index, Nigeria places 35th from the bottom.<\/p>\n
\u25aa\ufe0eWithin Africa, it ranks 33rd out of 54 countries in the Mo Ibrahim Index of African Governance.<\/p>\n
The report links corruption to Nigeria\u2019s weak GDP per capita, poor public services, and widespread poverty\u2014affecting over 54% of the population. It also warns that corruption undermines the rule of law, fosters impunity, and erodes public trust in institutions, particularly law enforcement and the judiciary.<\/p>\n
\u201cCorruption has eroded the basis for Nigeria\u2019s economic prosperity,\u201d the report states. \u201cIt fuels a culture where self-interest trumps public good, further weakening national unity and societal cohesion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moreover, the culture of clientelism and patronage\u2014where access to opportunities is determined by political and social connections\u2014has normalized corrupt behavior. Many Nigerians, the report says, see bribery and favoritism as the only viable means to access basic services or economic opportunities.<\/p>\n
The report also attributes the persistence of corruption to:<\/p>\n
\u25aa\ufe0eDecades of military rule, which weakened democratic institutions;<\/p>\n
\u25aa\ufe0eUnderfunded anti-corruption agencies;<\/p>\n
\u25aa\ufe0ePersistent political interference.<\/p>\n
While Nigerians largely acknowledge the harm caused by corruption, trust in public institutions remains critically low. Survey data from Chatham House show widespread distrust in government, police, and the judiciary, with many perceiving courts as politically compromised and lacking impartiality.<\/p>\n
The report concludes that without systemic reforms, stronger institutions, and cultural shifts in public expectations and accountability, Nigeria\u2019s struggle with corruption will continue to hinder its progress and global standing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chatham House, a prominent UK-based policy institute, has refuted recent claims by President Bola Tinubu that his administration has eliminated corruption in Nigeria. In a new report, the institute asserts that systemic corruption remains a major obstacle to Nigeria\u2019s economic growth and institutional integrity, despite over two decades of reform efforts. The report, authored by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":68704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[7289,864,56],"class_list":["post-94962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","tag-chatham","tag-corruption","tag-tinubu"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94962"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94962\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/68704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/everyday.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}