BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The issue of rising corruption in Nigeria is undeniably one of the most important and unaddressed issues confronting the country. The prevalence of corruption and unscrupulous practices in Nigeria, particularly among politicians, is totally reprehensible and disturbing, given the colossal costs to the Nigerian democracy (Chuta. 2018). Sluggish file movement in offices, police extortion points along our main and interior roads and tollgates, slow traffic on highways, port congestion, lineups at passport offices and petrol stations, phantom employees syndrome, and election anomalies are all signs of corruption. According to Enweremadu (2016), the turmoil created by corruption in this country is visible even to a newborn infant. This is clear when monies designated for public benefit either vanish into thin air or are devoured by animals. As a result, many in the community feel that corruption is a scourge in Nigeria.
Consequently, many in the community feel that corruption is a scourge in Nigeria. , the subject keeps coming up in every academic and informal debate in Nigeria. Some writers on corruption suggested that corruption is prevalent in all countries and is not exclusive to any continent, region, ethnic or racial group. Corruption, according to Girling (2017), spans across faiths, religious divisions, and political systems, hurting both the young and the old, men and women. Corruption, according to Girling, may be found in democratic and authoritarian regimes, as well as feudal, capitalist, and socialist economies. Corruption plagues Christian, Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist societies equally. As a result, he concluded that corruption and corrupt activities are not new; they have a long history dating back to the dawn of time. According to Mauro (2017), ancient civilizations had rampant criminality and corruption. However, corruption has been prevalent in complex civilizations since ancient Egypt, Israel, Rome, and Greece, and this does not imply that the amount of corruption is similar in every culture; some countries are more corrupt than others.
Surprisingly, Nigeria's restoration to democratic governance in 1999 heralded a new era of anti-corruption fight. Excessive corruption was one of the most severe difficulties that the Nigerian democratic government faced when it took office in 1999. Nigeria is endowed with enormous resources that may be used to accelerate development, but a sizable portion of the country's population lives in abject poverty as a result of widespread corruption. Corruption has made it extremely difficult for the Nigerian government to make use of its enormous resources and raise the level of living for its common inhabitants. Though corruption is a universal concern, it has been designated as the most pandemic global problem, wreaking havoc on both rich and developing countries (Adebayo & Seun, 2015). However, its long-term impacts on the Nigerian economy have been substantial and widespread.
Corruption occurs at an alarming rate in Nigeria, to the point that Nigeria was ranked 52 as the least corrupt nation out of 175 countries in 1997, but ranked 152 in 2005. Out of 180 nations, the country was rated 144 in 2018 and 146 in 2019. Nigeria is currently the second most corrupt ECOWAS country, according to the 2019 list (Transparency International, 2018 and 2019). As a result, Nigeria has been labeled as one of the world's most corrupt countries. In response, successive governments have made several efforts to reduce the prevalence of corruption in Nigeria, including the establishment of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) in 2000, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2003, the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act in 1991, the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offenses Act in 2005, and the Money Laundering Prohibition Act in 2011. This research will focus solely on the function of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in combating corruption from 2015 to 2021.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In recent years, Nigeria's anti-corruption campaign has resembled a gun-war fought with bows and arrows; it is a struggle that may transform its warriors into victims and those being fought into heroes. According to Onyema (2018), it is a "world" of controversies, politics, long discussions, and high public expectations, and it is a "war" that both sides use to win personal and political points.
Recognized is the fact that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is the principal entity charged with waging Nigeria's anti-corruption battle. Despite tremendous progress by anti-corruption organizations in investigating and convicting prominent public employees and political figures, as well as recovering and repatriating large stolen Nigerian funds. However, research (Ibraheem, 2017; Transparency International, 2018 and 2019) show that the rate of corruption in Nigeria has risen significantly over the years.
Surprisingly, corruption in Nigeria has become systematic and chronic, implying that the techniques for combating it in Nigeria are either inefficient or that the institutional structures for the anti-corruption crusade are ineffectual in light of the enormity of corruption in Nigeria.
According to Idris (2021), the fight against corruption and corrupt practices in order to achieve enhanced economic discipline in Nigeria remains a difficult challenge that needs strong political will, institutional changes, and the establishment of international collaborations. Furthermore, several arrests, prosecutions, and recoveries of public property have occurred, but corruption continues as if nothing has happened; thus, Idris argued that a policy of preventing or protecting public sector corruption is preferable to a curative approach to addressing the problem of corruption. Some scholars believe that the fight against corruption in Nigeria appears to be selective, while others believe that officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) shield some criminals from arrest, such as political leaders who avoid prosecution in order not to be tamed, and thus the officials of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) are perceived as unethical by many in society, causing the public to lose trust in the quango (Obuah, 2014).
Owing to variance in the opinion of scholars on the perceptions of Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) in fighting corruption, upon this premise the researcher seeks to ascertain the role of EFCC in combating corruption in Nigeria 2015-2021.
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