Journal of Christian Religious Studies

This article examines the ethics of self-sacrifice as a potential antidote to the endemic political corruption that has plagued Nigeria since independence. Despite numerous anti-corruption agencies, legal frameworks, and international interventions, corruption persists as a defining feature of Nigerian political life, diverting public resources, distorting policy, and eroding citizen trust in democratic institutions. This study investigates whether the ethical principle of self sacrifice, rooted in religious traditions, philosophical ethics, and African cultural values, can provide resources for transforming political behaviour and cultivating a new generation of leaders committed to public service rather than private accumulation. The research explores three interconnected dimensions: the conceptual foundations of self-sacrifice in Christian, Islamic, and African traditional ethics; the pathology of political corruption in Nigeria and its resistance to conventional anti-corruption strategies; and the potential for an ethics of self sacrifice to inform leadership formation, public accountability, and ethical reorientation. Findings reveal that self sacrifice is a prominent theme across Nigeria's religious and cultural traditions: in Christianity, exemplified in the kenotic self-emptying of Christ and the call to servant leadership; in Islam, expressed in concepts of ithar (preferring others over self) and tawakkul (trust in God's provision); in African traditional ethics, embodied in ideals of generosity, hospitality, and the prioritisation of communal well-being over individual accumulation. The study argues that these resources have been largely untapped in anti-corruption discourse, which has focused predominantly on institutional mechanisms rather than ethical formation. It proposes that cultivating an ethics of self sacrifice among political leaders and citizens could contribute to transforming political culture, though it acknowledges the structural constraints within which such transformation must occur. Recommendations address religious institutions, educational systems, political parties, anti corruption agencies, and civil society.

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