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The Military Rule And Political Transition In Nigeria: An Appraisal Of Abacha Regime (1993-1998)
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The term he argued is
usually reserved for the practice of using power of office for making
private gain in branch of the laws and regulations normally in force or
as more simply defined by M. C. Milan, a public official is corrupt if
he accepts money for doing something that he is under duty to do any
way, that he is under duty to do or exercise a legitimate discretion,
for improper reasons. He says that corruption flourish in Nigerian
military because the necessary and sufficient conditions for its
existence are prevalent in Nigeria. Among the necessary conditions are
the existences of surplus national wealth, the concentration of
political and economic decisions making power in official Dom and the
high growth rate of national wealth? The necessary conditions are what
he referred to as normal code and authority structure.In order words,
Verda is talking about the concentration of political and economic power
and accelerated pace of economic development as fertile grounds for
corruption. We shall however disagree with Verda because his assertions
are highly deficient as an explanation tool for explaining corruption in
Nigerian military. In the first place, his assertion that corruption is
peculiar to developing countries such as Nigeria is false. Corruption
also obtains in the advances western countries. The different is only in
terms of degree and scope. And also, the accelerated pace of economic
development are not fertile grounds for corruption. Rather it is the
objective basis in the process and the character for which it creates
that is responsible for corruption.Also David H. Barbley (1966:732) in
an article contained in western political Quarterly asserted that
corruption in developing countries is not necessary antipathetic to the
development of modern economic and social system. He argues that
corruption has beneficial effects on developing countries, taking into
consideration the economic and social cultural values of the area in
question. Among the check list of his beneficial effect of corruption
are increased in allocation of resources away from consumption into
investment, increase in the quality of life of public servant, that
corruption and nepotism could be emulated and adopted as norms.In fact,
there is a fundamental flaw and impairment in Barley‟s argument. His
assertion that corruption is beneficial to developing countries and not
to developed countries is deficient and fraught with fundamental bias.
His works is an attempt to justify corruption in developing countries
which has its origin in the colonial and post-colonial socio economic
formations.Another writer Collins Lacy (1965:1230-230) in his article n
the journal of modern African studies sees the state as an arena with a
great deal of behaviour are not geared towards the support of a single
concept of national interest. He asserts that there are three reasons
for this attitude. He says that idea of a national interest is weak
because the idea of a nation is new and that the leaders are not aware
of the official purpose requires of them. Another reason he argued was
the new state because people are generally not aware of what the
official roles requires.Collins analysis is deficient because in the
first instance, leaders, in developing countries are not unaware of the
official role, required of them. It is also true that people are not
aware of what is required of the officials. Many people in developing
countries are aware of what the official should do while in office even
though these officials and engaged in corrupt practices.
Another
writer, Chinua Achebe, (1983:37) in his book: The Trouble with Nigeria,
Sees corruption in Nigeria as an issue which has an objective basis on
the Nigeria leaders. He asserts that corruption is rampant among Nigeria
leaders. He goes further to argue that Nigeria in not different from
any other country in the world, and that they are corrupt because the
system in which they lived is corrupt and that ones the system is
changed, corruption can be ameliorated. He identified seven deadly ills
or maladies of Nigerian political leaders and society which includes the
following: tribalism, self-conceit and flamboyance, lack of
intellectual rigour, lack of patriotism, indiscipline and
corruption.Achebe‟s work is deficient because it fails to situate
corruption and other ills of society within the capitalist economic
system as well as the colonial and neo- colonial character of the
Nigerian society. Also, it fails to put corruption within a conceptual
framework.Ankie M. M. Hoogrelt, (1992: 127-137) in his book: The
Sociology of the Developed societies sees corruption as the evil
companion vehicle for negotiation between badly integrated structures of
social order.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study analyzes military rule and the political transition to democracy in Nigeria. It enquires into how military intervenes in the Nigerian politics in the recent time. The study also examines how corruption induces military intervention in Nigerian politics due to the embezzlement of public funds by our political leaders as well as mismanagement of government properties. This study looks at the major challenges in Nigeria‟s transition to democratic rule so as to establish the gap in ... Continue reading---
