Nigeria’s Corruption Level at Fatal Stage – Obasanjo.
Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that corruption in Nigeria has moved beyond an alarming level and reached a fatal stage.
He delivered this assertion during a keynote address titled ‘Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria’ at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum, held at Yale University in New Haven, United States.
Obasanjo highlighted that corruption remains one of the most significant challenges plaguing Nigeria, stating, “More than N700 billion in cash bribes were paid by citizens to public officials in 2023. Most bribes occur in the street or within a public official’s office. While private sector bribery is on the rise, it remains less prevalent than in the public sector. Corruption is inherently linked to power; thus, any meaningful discussion on the issue must focus on those in power.”
The former president noted that Nigeria’s ranking of 150 out of 180 countries in the Transparency International 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index illustrates the extent of the problem, placing the country in the bottom 20 percent globally.
“Corruption in Nigeria has passed the alarming and entered the fatal stage; and Nigeria will die if we keep pretending that she is only slightly indisposed,” Obasanjo emphasized.
He further warned that the nation will continue to descend into chaos, insecurity, conflict, and underdevelopment if corruption persists. This systemic issue fuels discord, disunity, youth restiveness, and violence, stalling Nigeria’s progress.
However, Obasanjo concluded with a message of hope, asserting that Nigeria’s situation could improve if the challenges of corruption and immorality are directly and effectively addressed.
Quoting Chinua Achebe’s 1983 classic treatise *The Trouble with Nigeria*, he affirmed, “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.”
