The Audacity of Corruption: Nigeria’s Enduring Struggle Against Institutionalized Impunity.
Source: Author's Infographics (2025) In a broader sense, corruption is defined as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain, manifesting across economic, social, and political domains with devastating consequences. Economically, it distorts resource allocation, deters investment, and undermines fiscal discipline. Socially, it erodes public trust, deepens inequality, and normalizes injustice. Politically, it weakens democratic institutions, fuels authoritarian tendencies, and perpetuates elite capture. According to the 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) by Transparency International, over two-thirds of countries score below 50 out of 100, indicating widespread governance failures and systemic impunity. Nigeria, with a CPI score of 26, ranks among the most corrupt nations globally, reflecting entrenched dysfunction in its public sector. This low score underscores the severity of institutional decay and its direct correlation with economic stagnation and rising poverty. In Ni...