PHILOSOPHIA POLITICA

Political corruption is endemic, institutionalized, and like COVID-19, it has become pandemic or widespread in Nigeria. Its pervasive prevalence underpins and reinforces other ills that challenge the very basis of national prosperity and development such as poverty, poor healthcare system, poor service delivery, and infrastructural decay. In fact, it is the core of the many devastating ills plaguing good governance and crippling the nation’s effort towards achieving greatness. From the issue of outright looting and or embezzlement of public funds to diversion and mismanagement of government treasury, ethnicity or tribalism in the distribution of national goods, etc., the emergence of the novel coronavirus in Nigeria has further exposed the deepening systemic nature of political corruption in the country. This unfortunate situation spanned the three tiers of government even in the ongoing struggle to contain and combat the ravaging coronavirus pandemic. This paper, therefore, examines political corruption in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences in Nigeria. It exposes the massive and rising wave of political corruption, lies, deceit, intrigues, and unnecessary politicization in the management and containment of the virus in Nigeria. In the final analysis, the paper concludes by recommending an urgent national ethical rebirth among the leaders and citizens of the country, as well as the strengthening of the institutions and organizations charged with the responsibility of fighting and checkmating political corrupt practices in order to effectively reduce the scourge to the barest minimum in the country.

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