Anti-corruption campaign in Nigeria (1999-2007) : the politics of a failed reform

After completing a transition from military to civilian rule in 1999, Nigeria began to implement comprehensive reforms aimed at routing out corruption. These reforms included the establishment of new anti-corruption agencies, comprehensive reform of the public sector, including the judiciary, as well as a global search for looted funds hidden away in foreign banks. This study highlights the major steps taken by the Obasanjo administration (1999-2007) to combat corruption. Focusing on activities at the federal level, it also gives insights from the state and local government levels. The book shows that despite being unprecedented in many ways, the impact of these policies has been hard to see. Even as their implementation accelerated over the years, corruption remained intractable, while the commitment of the reformists became increasingly politicized. Among the most obvious challenges that emerged were the obstacles faced by some of the major institutions charged with the implementation of the reforms: lack of finance, limited human resources, legal lacunas, an ineffective criminal justice system and constitutional immunity granted to key officials. To this was added the weakness of civil society and non-engagement of subnational authorities, all of which suggest a glaring absence of a political coalition against corruption.