Appraisal Of Legal And Institutional Framework For Combating Corruption
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This study gives an appraisal of the legal and institutional framework for combating corruption in Nigeria. The objectives of the study are to examine the legal regime for combating corrupt practices in the public service of the Federation. Highlight the merits, demerits, challenges and to proffer some recommendations. The main problem with the legal regime to combat corruption in the public service is lack of focus on the issues that cause corruption therefore result in failure to apply the appropriate remedies to tackle corruption. Another key challenge affecting the fight against corruption in Nigeria is the location of anti-corruption functions within multiple and operationally diverse institutions, which despite their closely related and even overlapping mandates have limited interface and cooperation and seldom coordinate policies and operations. Other factors affecting the fight against corruption are lack of funding, and bureaucracy. Furthermore, the immunity clause under section 308 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria precluding prosecution against some members of the public, the system to check those in authority is ineffective to supervise and be a motivating factor for individuals to be honest in their work and the constitutional safeguard for presidential pardon in insufficient to restrict the abuse of the power by the president. Despite all efforts, Nigeria continues to fall short of the standards and requirements of an effective anti-corruption regime as embodied in regional and global anti-corruption conventions. It is observed that the legal regime to fight corruption have failed to curb corruption in the public sector. Unfortunately, the trend is that corruption is exacerbating with the passage of time.
1.0 General Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Nigeria despite its oil wealth has one of the largest population of poor people on the African continent.1 Corruption is however the major cause of poverty in Nigeria. Despite more than a decade of civilian democratic rule, Nigeria still faces huge governance and development challenges. Transparency International ranked Nigeria 136 with a score of 26 on its 2015 corruption perception index.2 Despite efforts made by the government for the past decade to provide a better legal and institutional framework to curb corrupt practices in the public service, there are still major issues with corruption.
Giving the way the practice of corruption has become generally accepted in Nigeria, the research may think it is because there are no laws and institutions to curb corruption. This is not the case. In fact there are several laws that proscribe corruption and institutions to curb corruption in the public sector.
The Penal and Criminal Codes both contain anti-corruption provisions. Accordingly, the law prohibit demanding and receiving of bribes by public officials. The law also penalise anyone who either gives or offers bribe to public officers. The law also prohibit the activities of agents, relatives and other close associates of public officers to demand or receive gratification either for them or any other person.
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 provides for the establishment of the Code of Conduct Bureau.3 The Bureau was designed to monitor compliance with anti-corruption regulations in the code of conduct for public officers. In addition to the Nigerian Constitution, there are other laws, regulations, and initiatives that have been enacted or implemented to fight corruption. The Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act led to the establishing of the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC). The Act prohibits corruption, corrupt practices and corrupt enrichments and aims at the enthronement of probity, accountability, transparency, honesty, integrity and credibility in public life. The Act also establishes an Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission charged with the responsibility of investigating and prosecuting offender under the Act.
Also, Due Process was established to commence contract award review, oversight and certification process.4 It is a mechanism that certifies for public funding only those projects that have passed the test of proper-implementation packaging. Those projects most comply with the stringent requirements of international competitive bid approach in award process.
Furthermore, there is the transparency in privatisation and market liberalisation process. The aim of which is to comply with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiatives (EITI) and it involves the implementation of transparency in the privatisation and liberalisation of key economic sectors. Also, there is the move for transparency in the oil and gas sector, pursuant to this mandate the government will allow for checks and balances by providing information about its actions, receipts and expenditures in the oil sector.
Nigeria has made host of reforms and put into place a host of measures designed to help fight corruption in the country. But there appears to be a long way before it realise the benefits of such reforms.
1.2 Statement of Problem
The persistent high level of corruption in Nigeria in the public service was due to lack of enforcement legal regime. The legal regime to combat corrupt practices in the public service of the federation has failed to prevent corrupt practices. The introduction of anti corruption functions within multiple legal and diverse institutions was meant to provide an effective and efficient legal regime to combat corruption in the public service. The issue for consideration now is whether the multiple legal and diverse institutions have sufficiently covered issues to tackle corruption in the public service.
In view of the forgoing this research has formulated the following research questions:
- Whether the legal regime to combat corruption in the public service provides effective tools that stems corruption.
- Whether there are limitations in the legal regime to combat corruption in the public service that need to be reviewed and improved upon in order to effectively combat corruption.
- Whether there has been an improvement in combating corruption in the public service with the introduction of anti corruption functions within multiple legal and diverse institutions.
1.3 Justification
This study is relevant in view of the fact that it will educate the public on the legal regime for combating corrupt practices in public service of the Federation. The dissertation will also look at the legal and institutional requirements to find out the missing link that has prevented the curbing of corrupt practices in the public service.
The effectiveness of the laws and the institutions and their limitations will also be considered.
chapter one continues…
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