Influence of Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission on Female Civil Servants in Oyo State, Nigeria

This study examined the impact of ICPC’s ACTUs on female civil servants (FCS) in Oyo state, Nigeria. Corruption has been observed to be the bane of development to many nations of the world. Reports had it that civil servants contribute to corruption in t public offices through corrupt practices. To curb the menace, Nigerian government established ICPC Act, (2000) to educate and enlighten the public on the negative effect of corruption to national development. ICPC then instituted ACTUs in the civil service to monitor activities of civil servants, given the fact that corruption is said to be prevalent among female civil servants. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The purposive and proportional sampling techniques were adopted to select one thousand, one hundred and seventy six (1,176) respondents selected from the 22 core ministries and departments for the study. Data were analysed using percentage, pearson product moment correlation, multiple regression and content analyses. Findings revealed that, there is significant influence of ICPC’s ACTUs on the practice of accountability among female civil servants. Significant relationship existed between ICPC’s ACTUs and the practice of social responsiveness among female civil servants and also, a significant relationship existed between ICPC’s ACTUs and the respect for rule of law among female civil servants. From these findings, it is recommended that more ACTUs should be instituted in the MDAs. Civil servant, mostly female, should be accountable in the delivery of government services. There should be effective monitoring of ICPC’s ACTUs in the MDAs. Freedom of Information Act should be effectively put to practice. And the rule of law should be well respected. Keywords: Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Corruption, Anti-corruption and Transparency Units, Female Civil Servants, Good Governance

Leadership and Accountability:The Challenges of Development in Nigeria

A sizable number of scholars have argued that development in any nation is a function of a leadership that subscribes to the principles of accountability in government at various levels. This paper employs the methodology of historical research, which involves the analysis of secondary data obtained from relevant books, journals, internet resources, magazines and newspapers, to examine leadership and accountability as they relate to the challenges of development in Nigeria, with particular reference to the management of public resources. It observes that these challenges are premised among others on poor leadership at various levels of government. The paper concludes that for the living standards of Nigerians to be enhanced, there is need to enforce strict compliance of public officials with rules governing the management of public resources, thereby curbing corruption

Impact of task performance fraud risk assessment on forensic skills and mindsets: experience from Nigeria

This paper discusses the impact of task performance, fraud risk assessment and forensic accountants and auditors’ skills and mindsets in the Nigerian public sector. It also draws the attention of the users of public sector accountants and auditors such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission, Special Control Unit of Money Laundering, Terrorism Financing and White collar crimes. The objective of the study is to enhance the fraud risk assessment task performance in the Office of both Auditor General for the Federation and Accountant General of the Federation through the effective use of skills and mindsets (forensic accountant and auditor), which will usher in the best corporate governance practices in the Nigerian public sector. Thus, the study suggests performance measurement can be improved considering the impact of forensic accountant skills and mindsets on fraud risk assessment in the Nigerian public secto

The approach of the independent corrupt practices and other related offences commission (ICPC) in curbing corruption in Nigeria’s education system: a critical analysis

Nigeria is ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. Since it regained democratic status in 1999, successive governments have made several attempts to ameliorate corruption. One such attempt is the establishment of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), in 2000. This study examined the manner in which the ICPC conceptualises corruption, including its forms and consequences. It also examined what measures it proposes to combat corruption. The ICPC’s approach to corruption is evaluated in relation to the way corruption is understood in scholarly literature, especially within the education sector. The rationale for the study is that the potential effectiveness of anti-corruption activities is based, in part, on the appropriacy of the understanding of corruption that informs such activities. To carry out this study, the annual reports of the ICPC for the period from 2009 to 2013 were analysed. These documents describe all the activities of the Commission for these years. A rigorous textual analysis was conducted, focusing on descriptions of activities of the Commission that applied across sectors, as well as descriptions of activities related to education, specifically. The strongest conclusion reached is that the approach of the ICPC could potentially be strengthened considerably if it were to be informed by engagement with scholarship relating to corruption. However, this engagement is itself subject to political will. Where there is no such engagement, or where political will is not strong, it is unlikely that the strategies that are adopted would be effective

TOWARDS FEDERALIZATION OF NIGERIAN UNITARIZED JUDICIARY

This paper examines federalism as a concept, its adoption to governance in Nigeria through the constitution. The constitution is examined with a view of showing elements of unitarism instead of the federalism the constitution proclaims for Nigeria. In this regard, we examined the creation of federation account, statutory allocation of revenue to states and local government and what it portends for a federation. Conduct of general Election on a date for the central government and all the states of the federation is observed as an aberration in a federal state, so also is the creation of a National electoral commission for both the central and state governments. Creation of central judiciary for both the National and state government with institutions like Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) is also an aberration in a federation. The paper is concluded by contrasting Nigerian federation with American federation with a recommendation for true federation modeled along American system so as to ensure peace, order, good governance and security of the nation. This will be a form of devolution of power which can ensure Nigeria’s unity and erase agitation for balkanisation of Nigeria

The Impact and Consequences of Corruption on the Nigerian Society and Economy

There is no doubt that corruption has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society. Successive governments in the country since independence in 1960 had in recognition of the evil of corruption established programmes and agencies to deal with it. These include the War Against Indiscipline and Corruption (WAIC); Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC); the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC); etc. Despite the establishment of these agencies and targeted programmes, corruption has continued to ruin every aspect of the country’s national life with serious damages to her image before the international community. Corruption has not only become pervasive in Nigeria but it is more or less a way of life, much to the detriment of the Nigerian society and economy. The paper interrogates the nature of corruption and its implications for national development efforts in Nigeria. The paper concludes that without effectively dealing with corruption in a holistic manner, there can be no meaningful socio-economic and political development of the country. This is because in the opinion of the paper, corruption is evil, which is not reformable but must be removed in its entirety.Key words: Corruption, Impact, Consequences, Society, and Econom

Corruption, social violence and ethical culture in Nigeria

Corruption is the direct or indirect act of violence aimed at exploiting unmerited gain and or advantage from a person, structure, institution or environment. In Nigeria, corruption has grown to an unquantifiable level. The major causes of corruption include absence of political will, progressive suppression of the culture of accountability, geometric societal poverty and negative socio-economic conditions as well as greed and the get-rich-quick syndrome etc. The paper presents the multi-dimensional phases of corruption in Nigeria and the salient mandate of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). Unfortunately, the work reveal that the effectiveness of the above institutions and other corruption-watchdog setups has being watered-down by the negative push and pull effects of what is popularly known as the ‘Nigerian factor’. Finally, it argues that the most dangerous implications of corruption are the recurrence of social violence and the near-total collapse of ethical culture in every sector of the Nigerian national life, while recommending multidimensional transformative cultures of corruption management that must be collectively championed by the citizenry

The Anti-Corruption War in Nigeria: A Critical Appraisal of the Role of the ICPC and EFCC

The anti-corruptionregime of the last eight years has brought Nigeria to international spotlight in favourable terms. However, back at home, the crusade has come under heavy attacks, with many perceiving it as a pawn and political tool of the ruling party with which to frighten and neutralize opposition. However, anticorruption war, prior to the time it started, was long overdue in Nigeria. It is pertinent to note that corruption has cost Nigeria a whopping 220 billion pounds since 1966. The ravaging effect of corruption on national development in Nigeria is, thus, stupendous. To check the malignancy of it, President Olusegun Obasanjo's administration instituted the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) established by the AntiCorruption Acts of 2000 and 2002 respectively, to investigate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, groups and institutions found culpable or corrupt, and unearth frauds and recover public loots. This paper appraises the anti-corruption war, by critically evaluating the activities of the EFCC and ICPC. It observes that the war has not only been successful in curbing political corruption in Nigeria, but is also restoring confidence of the international community in Nigeria, and lubricating the country's foreign policy for economic development

Military Outlay and Economic Growth: The Scenarios of Lake Chad Basin Countries of the Republic of Chad and Nigeria

This study examined the relationship between military outlay and economic growth in the Lake Chad Basin countries of Nigeria and the Republic of Chad respectively by testing the causal link between these two principal variables. The data ranges used for Nigeria and Chad were 1981-2019 and 1983-2019 respectively. The econometric method employed for this study was the Autoregressive Distributed Lag Bounds approach to cointegration. The results revealed that Nigeria’s military outlay exerted a positive and insignificant relationship with economic growth. However, the Republic of Chad’s military outlay had a positive and significant link with economic growth. The results of the causality test showed that there was no causal relationship between real GDP per capita and military outlay in both Nigeria and the Republic of Chad. These findings for Nigeria and Chad imply that they can pursue the policy objectives of defence and economic growth independently. The study, thus, recommends that the policymakers of the governments of both countries should pursue the policy objectives of defence and economic growth independently. Furthermore, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), charged with the responsibility of fighting corruption should rise to the occasion and track down military officials that divert defence funds for individual gains in Nigeria

Leadership and Accountability The Challenges of Development in Nigeria

A sizable number of scholars have argued that development in any nation is a function of a leadership that subscribes to the principles of accountability in government at various levels. This paper employs the methodology of historical research, which involves the analysis of secondary data obtained from relevant books, journals, internet resources, magazines and newspapers, to examine leadership and accountability as they relate to the challenges of development in Nigeria, with particular reference to the management of public resources. It observes that these challenges are premised among others on poor leadership at various levels of government. The paper concludes that for the living standards of Nigerians to be enhanced, there is need to enforce strict compliance of public officials with rules governing the management of public resources, thereby curbing corruption