CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Corruption in Nigeria political system in Egor Local Government Area is a menace to the people and the country at large. Besides, Nigeria has other factors that have battered her political system. These are no other things than the war against indiscipline, political crisis, and economic and financial crimes commission (EFCC) have been employed and adopted by past regime and administrations to curb the evil practices, but all proved abortive, while the economic recession is on the increase. How long should this continue?

According to a statement in the Daily Times (1999), “decades after decades, children are born to see and learn of this enemy of development, why should we allow this to continue? We need to join hands on this criminal behaviours in other to protect present and future generations of our great country. Corruption has really been the bane of this country. All hands must be on deck. Osisioma (1999) Nigeria was grouped as the second position and the sixth position of the world most corrupt countries. The sequence of the position above shows little improvement which is not significant for stopping the worry of patriotic Nigerians on the matter. The Instinet for corruption normally begins with ungratefulness and greediness. As stated by Malick (1994) the origin of corruption is that it is influenced by the quest for more material wealth.    

According to Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP 2008) Nigeria losses sixty kobo to underhand practices out of every one naira (100 kobo) spent by government. The wealth of this nation is being looked by few privileged individuals known as civil servant and politicians who are busy acquiring their ill gotten wealth by inflating contracts, diverting public assets into personal economy in different ways. According to Akara (2012) corruption in all its ramifications in any society is the symptom of the moral indiscipline and moral decadent that can only be arrested and the society regenerated, if an only the society itself becomes aware and conscious of its dangerous descent into the abyss of self-extension. Corruption in Egor Local Government Area has really affected the public sector and has spilled to other sectors of the economy such as private sectors businesses and households in view of the yearly reports of the Nigeria deposit insurance corruption (NDIC) and the various white papers issued in Egor Local Government , Nigeria year in year out, many people are initiated into different forms of these sharp practices.

A recent revelation made by the Egor Local Government Commission of ensuring enquiring into financial activities of government between 1999-2007, the state board of internal revenue generated about twenty four billion naira (approximately 210 million) but less than 25% of revenue was accounted for and more than 75% of the revenue in allegedly embezzled. The issue of corruption in the public sector is perpetrated in a syndicate where both civil servant and political appointees are involved. A study on why corruption flourishes in the public sector might be expected to provide a useful insight into the strategies to be adopted to minimize this evil. It is also expected that the goals is due to an array of problems. Of these problems, the fabrics of our economy and the need to manage it. Existing government will learn from the experiences of past leaders who have failed in their efforts to curb the menace of this underhand practices by govern leap services, for implementation of measures. The country has put in place to help in reducing the cases and magnitude of corruption in the public sector and political system and indeed the country as a whole