A Reformatory Approach of the Legal Regime for Combating Corruption in Public Sector in Nigeria

Abstract

corruption is the scourge of most underdeveloped, developing, and to a considerable extent, the so-called developed countries. Thus the outright misappropriation, conversion. diversion, and the theft of public funds and resources have Nigeria in particular, with a damaged reputation and a negative perception of being a mismanaged and dysfunctional country. The government anti-corruption war has been selective with many perceiving it as a pawn and political ploy of the ruling party to neutralize and frighten the opposition. Repeated calls have been made to overhaul both the civil service as well as the judicial system being the two actors in the corruption saga, the enactment of stringent and effective laws and the reinvestment of the proceeds recovered from corrupt individuals back into the economy to boost infrastructure. official corruption in the public sector is a non-violent crime for financial gain utilizing deception and committed by anyone who has a special technical and professional knowledge of business and government, irrespective of the person's occupation. The mind burgling questions remain: how did the justice system in Nigeria lack effective cohesion to fight corruption? why has the Prosecutors, investigators, and the prosecution of the offence yielded no positive result? using an analytical method, the paper examines the anti-corruption framework in Nigeria; its relation and effect on the development of the Nation and proffer solutions based on current circumstances.