Corruption and Democratic Governance in Nigeria: A Philosophical Perspective

Chukwu P. Ezechi

doi:10.56201/rjhcs.v12.no1.2026.pg45.53

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Corruption and Democratic Governance in Nigeria: A Philosophical Perspective

Chukwu P. Ezechi

Abstract

Since the return to democratic rule in 1999, Nigeria has been confronted with a persistent paradox: the coexistence of a functioning democratic structure with pervasive, systemic corruption. While a significant body of literature has examined the socioeconomic and political consequences of this phenomenon, fewer studies have probed its underlying philosophical underpinnings. This article addresses this gap by exploring the philosophical contradictions between the principles of democratic governance—accountability, transparency, and the common good—and the entrenched practices of corruption in Nigeria. Employing a qualitative, philosophical methodology of critical analysis and hermeneutic interpretation, this study engages with contemporary literature (2020–2025) and seminal political philosophy to deconstruct corruption not merely as a criminal act but as a fundamental failure of civic virtue and a distortion of the social contract. The analysis reveals that the "democratic" practice in Nigeria is often an "illiberal democracy" where the state is captured by a predatory elite, leading to a crisis of legitimacy. The article argues that effective anti-corruption efforts must transcend legalistic and institutional fixes to cultivate a new civic ethic grounded in principles of justice and the common good. It concludes that the future of Nigerian democracy hinges on a philosophical reorientation that reclaims the state as a site for collective flourishing rather than private accumulation.

Keywords

CorruptionDemocratic GovernanceNigeriaPolitical PhilosophySocial ContractCivic VirtueIlliberal Democracy

References

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Corruption and Democratic Governance in Nigeria: A Philosophical Perspective

Abstract

Keywords

References

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