Corruption has been identified as a major reason for underdevelopment of Nigeria and governments at different times, both under the military and democratic dispensations have demonstrated readiness to battle the hydra headed monster. In 2003, the Nigerian state enacted the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act as an enabling law to create a body with specialized powers to fight economic and financial crimes.
Corruption in Nigeria has reached a fatal proportion. President’s Buhari warning that ‘if Nigeria does not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria’ receives scant attention these days. In its efforts to fight corruption and retrieve stolen public funds, Nigerian government has sought international cooperation towards repatriation of looted funds.
The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) is currently on a nationwide indefinite strike on the issue of financial autonomy of the judiciary. The strike means that all Federal courts as well as courts in the FCT and across all states of the Federation will be closed till further notice. The reason for the strike is the non-implementation of judicial financial autonomy at the state level which is contrary to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). Section 121 (3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides that any amount standing to the credit of the House of Assembly of a State and Judiciary in the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the State shall be paid to the said bodies respectively and in the case of the Judiciary shall be paid directly to the heads of the courts concerned.
A Bill by the National Assembly to repeal the extant Police Service Commission Act, 2001 and enact a new Police Service Commission Act is a welcome initiative. The extant Act, the Police Service Commission Act, 2001, establishes the Police Service Commission as the institution to appoint persons to offices (other than the office of the Inspector-General of Police) in the Nigeria Police Force and to dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over any person holding office in the
Corruption in Nigeria is no doubt a major obstacle to the development of various sectors of the economy. Despite being criminalized by several laws, the practice of corruption in the country has remained at an all-time high with each passing administration.
As Nigeria ranks 149 out of 180 countries in the 2020 Corruption Perception Index by Transparency International, recent happenings in the anti-corruption war further reveals apparent efforts by some government officials as being anti the fight against corruption.
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