ASSESSING THE NEXUS BETWEEN CORRUPTION AND INSECURITY IN NIGERIA: A PERVASIVE DILEMMA

This paper, assessing the nexus between corruption and insecurity in Nigeria tries to identify and examine the relationship that exist between corruption and insecurity such as kidnapping, banditry militancy, insurgency etc. in Nigeria. Insecurity is closely tied to corruption, since most of the groups involved complain of deprivation by government in the provisions of their basic needs in spite of the enormous money governments earmark every year for such provisions like schools, hospitals, roads, water, electricity, food etc. The paper relied heavily on secondary source of data. It used the perspective of the strain theory which focuses on disadvantaged groups in the society who feel they have been denied means of achieving their goals in life and thus inclined to crime. The paper concludes that when a government does not respond to its citizens’ needs, some of them would look for other ways to satisfy those needs whether legitimately or otherwise. It also recommends among others things that governments at all levels should declare a state of emergency on the provision of basic human needs such as food, health facilities, education and ensure their accessibility and affordability to the common man.