Is Nigeria winning the war against corruption?

 

An online source says “Corruption is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It involves dishonest or illegal acts like bribery, fraud, embezzlement, or nepotism, often by powerful individuals in government, business, or other sectors, to get illicit benefits, bypass rules, or misuse public resources for personal or group advantage. It undermines fairness, weakens institutions, and harms public welfare by diverting funds, creating unequal access, and eroding trust, and can range from petty bribes to large-scale grand corruption.”

According to Transparency International, “Corruption erodes trust, weakens democracy, hampers economic development and further exacerbates inequality, poverty, social division and the environmental crisis.” How has Nigeria fared in terms of fighting corruption? In the 2024 Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International, released in early 2025, Nigeria ranked 140th out of 180 countries, improving slightly from 145th but remaining among highly corrupt nations with a score of 26 out of 100. This movement reflects marginal progress with increased anti-graft efforts but signifies persistent systemic corruption challenges, with Nigeria sharing the 140th spot with countries like Uganda and Mexico.

Any wonder why there is underdevelopment in Nigeria in spite of our huge economic potentials? Ironically, many are quick to point at the politically exposed persons as being the most corrupt ones. That is debatable. I stand to be corrected that the business elites may actually be most corrupt. Of course, they work in cahoots with the political class to steal public funds through inflated contracts, over-invoicing, abandonment of projects after collecting mobilisation fees, building of sub-standard infrastructures, etcetera.

Transparency International says “Corruption happens in the shadows, often with the help of professional enablers such as bankers, lawyers, accountants and real estate agents, opaque financial systems and anonymous shell companies that allow corruption schemes to flourish and the corrupt to launder and hide their illicit wealth.”

It’s noteworthy that there’s also petty corruption in which web many Nigerians are caught. When many put out the holier-than-thou attitude by chest-thumping that they are not corrupt, I laugh. These are people who steal electricity by by-passing the meter in their homes so they don’t pay commensurate tariff for their heavy electricity  consumption; they are traders who use false or padded measurement to sell grains to their customers in the market; they are those who as motor mechanic will collect money for genuine motor parts only to buy fake or substandard ones for their customers; they are artisans who routinely cheat their customers through prohibitive charges and shoddy jobs.

How many of us know that corruption has now spread to the religious worship centres where priests exploit their members through fake prophesies and needless sacrifices? Spiritual corruption is now very endemic in our society. Pastors, Prophets, Imams, Alfas, Herbalists, Diviners, Astrologers are all in on the game. They have commercialised and commoditised religion. In contemporary times, it’s extremely difficult to know who’s fake and who’s genuine among religious leaders.

Quick examples: A self-proclaimed Ghanaian prophet named Ebo Noah (also known as Evans Eshun) was arrested by the Ghana Police Service around New Year's Eve 2025/2026 for spreading false information and causing public panic with a doomsday prophecy. He had claimed the world would end via a massive flood on December 25, 2025, and instructed followers to gather in "arks" he supposedly built, allegedly collecting donations in the process.

Also, a self-proclaimed traditional folk healer, or marabout, identified as Mr. Sinayogo, has been arrested in Mali for fraud. He allegedly collected approximately €33,500 (more than 22 million CFA francs) by falsely promising the Mali national football team a victory in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.  The arrest occurred on January 11, 2026, in the capital city of Bamako, shortly after Mali was eliminated from the tournament in a 1-0 quarter-final loss to Senegal. An angry mob had gathered at his home after the defeat, prompting police intervention and his subsequent arrest by the cybercrime division.   In Nigeria, just last month, (December 2025), Bayo Adelabu, minister of power, has accused Primate Elijah Ayodele, founder and head of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Oke Afa, Lagos, of blackmail and attempting to extort N150 million from him for “spiritual intercession” to make him governor of Oyo state.

Sincerely speaking, there is no facet or sphere of human endeavour in Nigeria that’s free of corrupt tendencies. Even within the media circles which has the constitutional mandate to hold government to account, there is a lot of corrupt practices. The phenomenon of journalists demanding for bribes which is euphemistically called ‘brown envelope’ or ‘egunje’ before publishing a newsworthy story is rampant. Nigerian journalists have also been accused of doing image laundry for people of despicable character by organising award ceremonies where such people are giving underserved awards. It’s not unusual for a non-performing or underperforming governor to be given award of best performing governor in a particular field once he can pay for the honour.

Interestingly, Nigeria has plethora of institutions and laws meant to fight corruption but it will seem that they are either overwhelmed or simply inefficient. Take for instance, among our anti-corruption agencies are: the Nigeria police, the courts, the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit, the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, the Code of Conduct Bureau and Code of Conduct Tribunal as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Nigeria's legal framework for anti-corruption and transparency includes several key pieces of legislation:  The 1999 Constitution (as amended): This includes a Code of Conduct for public officers requiring ethical standards and asset declarations to the Code of Conduct Bureau, prohibiting foreign bank accounts and conflicts of interest. ICPC Act, 2000: Established the commission and criminalises offenses such as bribery, using office for private gain, contract inflation, and failure of public officers to report bribery.

EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004: Created the commission to investigate and prosecute financial and economic crimes, including money laundering. Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022: The primary anti-money laundering law, it mandates strict KYC procedures and suspicious transaction reporting. Freedom of Information Act, 2011: Promotes transparency by allowing citizens to request information from government agencies. Public Procurement Act, 2007: Aims for transparency and accountability in government procurement.

In terms of policies, we have the Whistleblower policy, the Bank Verification Number, the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System which is a centralised database and payroll system for the Nigerian Federal Government. It was introduced to enhance efficiency, transparency, and accountability by managing personnel records and payroll, eliminating ghost workers, and curbing fraud in the public service.

The fight against corruption is a work in progress. I cannot in good conscience say that our anticorruption agencies have not been performing. Take for instance, in 2025, EFCC achieved a significant milestone as Nigeria exited the Financial Action Task Force grey list, signaling improved financial integrity. In terms of Convictions and Recoveries, within a two-year period leading up to October 2025, the EFCC reported 7,503 convictions and recovered over ₦566 billion, $411 million, and various other foreign currencies. The commission also secured the final forfeiture of 1,502 non-monetary assets, with 125 properties recovered in 2025, including duplexes in Abuja and Nok University. ICPC reported  the recovery of ₦37.44 billion and $2.353 million in 2025 through asset seizures and forfeitures. The commission said it’s one of its most significant annual recovery figures to date.

Anticorruption agencies need encouragement and more importantly better funding. It’s heartwarming that EFCC already has a radio channel of its own to carry out public enlightenment. However, National Orientation Agency as well public and private media must join hand to educate the public on the evils of corruption. There is a need for a special anti-corruption court wholly dedicated to entertaining corruption matters in order to fastrack service delivery. As the saying goes, justice delayed is justice denied.  Nigeria needs whistleblower law that protects whistleblower and their family members. Genuine religious leaders should use their worship centres to admonish their congregants to eschew corruption, be it mega or petty.

I.G: @jideojong