Why there is high level of corruption in Nigeria, Omobitan, LASU DVC

THERE is high level of corruption in the country because there is lack of trust in the society wherein the ruled do not believe in the rulers and everybody doing things for his or her personal gains.

This was stated by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Lagos State University, LASU, Prof. Olufunsho Omobitan, while delivering the 97th Inaugural Lecture of the institution.

The title of the lecture was: The logic in corruption and development: Is corruption bad? Is development good? Credence and perception.

According to him, “transparency matters a lot and determines individuals’ levels of trust in the government and various individuals at large,“ and called for more transparency in the public and private lives of people.

Omobitan opined that poverty and corruption are interrelated and that corruption determines the poverty level in a country, while poverty also results into more corrupt practices. 

Proferring solutions to how corruption and poverty could be tamed, he said: “Policymakers over time have been particularly interested in lowering poverty levels and this is well pronounced in the sustainable development goals. Adequate machinery in terms of putting in place equal distribution of wealth and reduction in unemployment among others, will reduce poverty and lessen corruption in the society with the result that development increases.”

While acknowledging that corruption could aid people to get certain things done quickly such as being attended to in hospitals among other places, “the gains are personal, while the adverse effects are on the corporate entity called Nigeria, “ he added. 

He urged that development should be seen as well-encompassing and that it should be the mission of policymakers.

“Thus, policymakers should engage in inclusive growth rather than growth for self-mission. In this case, resources meant for the nation at large should be utilised judiciously by embarking on long-term projects that can positively change the life span of the entire masses."

“ Self-reliant mission should be the watchword. A strong cause of corruption in Nigeria is the lack of self-reliant attitude which often lead to over-dependence. It is better to gain a little from self-reliant mission than to gain largely from over-dependence. The former brings long-term sustainability, while the latter may be impeded through some temporary shocks.

“Decentralisation should be taken more into consideration in which local, state and national levels are independent. The local governments are close to the masses and resources should be allocated directly to them,” he stated.

He called for efficient monitoring of resources that are in charge of public officials, saying that would eventually lead to adequate distribution of resources in terms of infrastructural development.