The Effects Of Bureaucratic Corruption In Government Regulatory Agencies On Socio-Economic Development In Nigeria

Abstract

The study examined the effects of bureaucratic corruption in government regulatory agencies on socio-economic development in Nigeria: study of selected government regulatory agencies – EFCC, ICPC and Ministry of Labour and Productivity in Enugu state. The mandate of the regulatory agencies and some government ministry are to fight corruption and ensure that this hideous phenomenon is removed or at least brought to the barest minimum in the public sector. The objectives of the study is to find out if professional skills/ethics of officers in government regulatory agencies have effect on the level of their productivity, to know if recruitment outside the merit based system in government regulatory agencies have effect on the Gross Domestic product (GDP), to examine if poor salaries and fringe benefit system in government regulatory agencies have effect on national income and lastly to assess the extent Regulatory Agencies have tackled Bureaucratic Corruption in Nigeria. The research design was a survey design and the total population of the study area was 91, all samples were utilized by the use of structured questionnaire, stratified random sampling technique was adopted. Reliability was tested using test, retest method. Data collected were analyzed using the chi-square statistical tool through percentage frequency responses tables. The findings show that; lack of adequate professional skills/ethics by officers in government regulatory agencies have a negative effect on their level of productivity; that bureaucratic corruption have effect on national income, Gross Domestic Products (GDP), and that corrupt practices offender are not properly tackled by the regulatory agencies. In view of the above the researcher proffered recommendations that; regulatory agency officers should be trained and retrained and motivated by giving them enough salary and funds to reduce their corrupt practices thereby enhancing National Income, per capital income, gross domestic product for better socio-economic development. The government stakeholders and politicians should desist from interfering in the activities of regulatory agencies in Nigeria to encourage effective and better performance of the agencies.