Official Corruption and Patriotism in Nigerian Public Service: The Case of the Nigeria Police Force

Abstract

Nigeria has had the unfortunate history of being ranked among the most conupt counnies of the world. Most times, if not placed first in the ranking, she normally occupies the second or third position by the rating of international non-governmental agencies like Amnesty International and Transparency International, among others. The situation become worst during the so-called “corrective” military regimes of General Babangida, General Abacha and General Abubakar. The average Nigenan is thus perceived as a potential criminal whose activities must of necessity be monitored, as long as he remains in his host country. This work. is thus motivated by the desire to critically evaluate the causes of corruption in the public service, with emphasis on the Nigeria Police. This will lead us to an analysis of the effects which corruption has had on the patriotic activities of the Nigerian public servant, especially the Nigeria Police personnel. We have the benefit of hindsight that the Nigeria Police received some of the severest sanctions during the Murtala Mohamrned “great purge" of 1975. When however, compared with what prevails today, the situation before 1975 seems to be a child’s play. Things have gone quite bad, and indeed “ . . .. have fallen apart and the center cannot hold” for the Nigeria Police. We strongly take the position that there is a strong relationship between corruption and the absence of a patriotic spirit among majority officers of the Nigeria Police. We argue further that to have a conuption fnee and patriotic public service in Nigeria, machinery must be put in place to deliberately change the negative perception held about the state by majority of Nigerians.