The culture and normalization of corruption in Nigeria : a focus on the Nigerian government

Abstract

This thesis examines the problem of corruption in Nigeria. Corruption has been theorized to be the major factor that hinders the development of Nigeria. The overarching objective was to understand the perception of the Nigerian diaspora about the culture and normalization of corruption in Nigeria. 10 in-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with Nigerians living in Nova Scotia, Canada. The General Strain Theory (GST) was used to understand, explain and analyse the data that was collected. Four themes were identified from the data analysis. The findings reveal that there must be an overhaul of the system and a process of unlearning, re-learning and acculturation before strides can be made to reduce corruption. These findings have implications for policy makers, the Nigerian government and contribute to a knowledge base in the social sciences.