There is no doubt that Nigerians know that corruption has eaten deep into the systems of Nigeria; it could be political, social, and economic. Corruption in Nigeria has fostered impunity in people and cultures and breeds inequality among the people. It has weakened the government that was meant to uphold people and dashed the hope of the masses during electoral processes. And they disregard the rule of law, resulting in public confidence.
It is no news to Nigerians that corruption has negatively affected foreign investment, funds regarding development projects and critical infrastructure, misallocation of resources, and increased poverty.
In this article, we will learn how corruption has affected Nigerians socially, economically, and politically.
Social Impact of Corruption in Nigeria:
The corruption in Nigeria hasn’t affected only a part of it but the day-to-day activities of the masses.
• Undermining Trust
Corruption in Nigeria has undermined the trust the public once had in the government. The government has made the citizens lose their faith in the government’s ability to rule them accordingly. To address their needs and concerns exactly how it was meant to be, to put their well-being before theirs, and to listen to their concerns. The government will instead sort itself to the best of its ability before it remembers they have people to cater to.
• Inequality of the masses
Sharing resources through corrupt practices denies people the essential resources and standard amenities they are meant to enjoy. The government and the officials mainly loot the funds for the provision of resources. Through this, the provision of essential services to the masses is always cut short, which leads to social inequality and increases poverty. Indeed, citizens are not the same. While some people might know their way through the whole government problems, all others can do is hope the government helps them out through the situation they’ve met themselves.
• Bribery and dishonesty
The bribery and dishonesty that the government engages in are unethical and have caused the masses and citizens to act similarly. Bribery has affected the social life of the people, regarding the way the government will give peanuts to people who will transform towns or build roads, rather than give them the actual amount that is in the country’s budget. By so doing, the workers end up doing half-good jobs that wouldn’t last up to a year for the community. Or keep them stranded and leave them hurt even before it was done. This instead causes accidents and loss of sickness that wasn’t even there before.
• Crime and Insecurity
Citizens are not even safe again; if you ask the police why they aren’t doing their job accordingly, they will haven’t gotten enough pay. Insecurity keeps rising every day in Nigeria; there is no one to keep a community safe other than the community people themselves. Criminal activity is thriving due to compromised investigations and ignoring legal processes.
Economic Impact of Corruption in Nigeria
• Economic misrepresentation
Corruption disregards economic activities by helping those with more political connections; this will disregard everything that has to do with healthy competition without first picking out people who have more political connections to help do business with. It also hinders innovation; people who have the innovation to build an essential product should be more noticed.
• Foreign Investment
The corruption in Nigeria has blocked foreign investors from investing in the essentials of Nigeria’s minds. Foreign investment through corruption had bred Nigeria’s fears that they might be mistreated or corrupt. They also fear that Nigerians might bring up different rules and regulations they disagreed on before.
• Misallocation of resources
Resources are usually diverted into government corrupt practices to fuel their misdoings and practices, and this will affect different types of sectors, such as the educational sector, the health sector, and different essential sectors in the country.
• Growth Reduction
Corruption causes embezzlement and mismanagement of funds, which decreases the growth of the country’s economy; it reduces the chances of getting a job in the country and the country’s economic development.
Political Effect of Corruption in Nigeria
Corruption, in many ways, has affected the political situation of this country.
• Weak Governance
Corruption in Nigeria has affected not only the country’s social and economic part of the country but also the political system. The corruption in Nigeria has weakened the governance institution and also the ability of the government to serve the people without the people not doubting them if they had some other intentions.
• Lack of accountability
Corruption makes accountability unnecessary; this makes the government not accountable to the people they serve and lead, and it makes officials act with impunity and not care about the consequences of their actions.
• Political instability
Corruption can lead to unrest and political instability. The lack of political instability can cause chaos in the country, such as protests and riots, to express how they feel and what they need.
• Electoral Manipulation
Corruption causes electoral manipulation, such as buying the vote and changing the electoral processes, which reduces the importance of democratic processes and the representation of citizens’ preferred choices.
Conclusion
The government must be willing to help the country, such as building anti-corruption laws to get over corruption. It must be willing to go through with it, introducing new measures to enhance monitoring of people who don’t follow the laws and how they will be punished.
Promoting and educating people about the adverse effects of corruption. Encouraging different cultures is necessary for the government to encourage it. They should also promote economic diversification and ensure equitable distribution of resources.
