Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has stated that corruption in Nigeria has moved beyond an alarming concern to a dangerously critical level. He made the remarks during his keynote address on “Leadership Failure and State Capture in Nigeria,” delivered at the Chinua Achebe Leadership Forum at Yale University in New Haven, USA, over the weekend.
Obasanjo emphasized that corruption remains one of the country’s most pressing issues. He highlighted that Nigerians paid over N700 billion in bribes to public officials in 2023 alone, with the majority of these transactions taking place in public offices or on the streets. Although private sector bribery is on the rise, it still pales in comparison to corruption within the public sector.
He pointed out that corruption is inherently linked to power, asserting that any honest discussion about it must start with those in positions of authority. “Corruption in Nigeria has gone beyond the alarming stage and is now at a fatal point. If we continue to pretend that the country is only slightly unwell, Nigeria is at risk of perishing,” he warned.
Ranking 150th out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index, Nigeria finds itself in the bottom 20% globally, a stark indication of how deeply embedded corruption is within the nation. Obasanjo described it as the most significant challenge to Nigeria’s development, adding that the country will continue to face instability, insecurity, conflict, and economic decline as long as corruption remains unchecked.
Despite the grim outlook, the former president offered a glimmer of hope, stating that Nigeria’s future can still be salvaged if its leadership confronts the dual issues of corruption and moral decay.
Reflecting on Chinua Achebe’s influential 1983 essay The Trouble with Nigeria, Obasanjo echoed Achebe’s assessment: “The trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure of leadership.”
