This research is concerned with the major causes, forms, and consequences of governmental corruption in Sub Saharan Africa. Governmental corruption is found, to some extent, in most of the nations of Sub Saharan Africa. It is most rife in Kenya, Liberia, and Nigeria.1 Governmental corruption is also quite prevalent in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zaire.2 It is extremely rare in both Zimbabwe and the Republic of South Africa; however, even in these countries governmental corruption exists.
Where governmental corruption does exist in the countries of Sub Saharan Africa, the forms and causes are similar, even if the degree is not.3 Therefore, in this consideration of governmental corruption in Sub Saharan Africa, Nigeria is used as the vehicle for research. Nigeria is one of the countries where governmental corruption is most prevalent in Sub Saharan Africa.
1S. J. Ungar, Africa: The People and Politics of An Emerging Continent (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1985), 90, 99 101, 105, 112 113, 133 138, 140 148, 186 190, 206.
2Ibid., 340 341, 360 362, 388, 401 405, 409.
3Ibid., 90, 99 101, 105, 112 113, 133 138, 140 148, 186 190, 206, 340 341, 360 362, 388, 401 405, 409.
Prior to the assumption of power by the military in Nigeria, tribal chiefs exercised enormous power in government in the country. Typically, the chief exercising power in a particular region refused approval for business activity in that region, unless some sort of compensation was paid to him, or unless either he or some member of his family, or some poli tical ally was permitted to share in the venture.4
Once the military assumed power in the country, most of the corruption tied to the tribal chiefs was eliminated. In its place, however, monopolistic practices began to become more prevalent in the Nigerian economy, as a consequence of both the predelictions of the military rulers, and because of growing corruption wit...