CORRUPTION, LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT Corruption is a moral decadence that has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian political terrain. Most government world over, Nigerian government inclusive, are bedeviled by the problem of good governance, they are most hit by the precarious problem of corruption, as such most of them records a downward trend in development be it political, economic or social development. The promise of the early years of independence has given way to mismanagement, personal or group aggrandizement by the ruling elite at the expense of the ordinary citizens. There is high level of corruption which has driven many Nigerians in to absolute poverty. People are adversely affected through bad and corrupt governance as such it has made meaningful development elusive. Corruption inflicts so many kinds of negative effects on any society where it exists and persists until such society is purged of such immorality and social problem, which in turn can lead to other social problems. Corruption is a world - wide phenomenon which has been with societies throughout history, it has caused political and economic instability in societies and depending on the scale. It has led to social conflict and violence as contending groups struggle for state power which is the source of distribution of resources and other amenities in the society. Therefore, the paper attempts to investigate corruption, leadership and development in Nigeria. Key words: Corruption, Development, Leadership,Embezzlement, Economic crim