Systemic corruption: A nightmare to service delivery in Nigeria public tertiary institutions

The level of corruption in Nigeria public tertiary institutions is alarming and has drawn the attention of concerned individuals in both the academics and industries. The aim of this paper is to examine the effect of systemic corruption on service delivery of Nigeria public tertiary institutions. The study utilised a quantitative research approach. Data were collected from 364 staff of selected public tertiary institutions in south-eastern Nigeria using a structured questionnaire. Hypotheses were tested using International Business Machine Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (IBM-SPSS) version 27 that runs multiple regression analysis (MRA). The findings reveal that fraud, nepotism, bribery and abuse of power have significant and negative effect on the service delivery of public tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The study therefore, concluded that systemic corruption has significant and negative effect on service delivery of Nigeria public tertiary institutions. The study recommended that all cases of corruption, regardless of their nature, be handled as serious crimes, carrying lengthier and more punitive prison terms.