ACADEMIC CORRUPTION AND NATIONAL

DEVELOPMENT

By

AROWOJOBE, OLAKUNLE EZEKIEL

Abstract
This paper wants to examine how academic corruption can impede national development.
This paper sees corruption as an one-hydra headed scourge that needs to the crush in
order for the countries educational system to challenge with what is obtainable in
advanced countries. This paper sees corruption as a condemnable behavior which have the
capabilities to undermine our national development. Academic corruption is a problem
requiring scholarly attention and the major of this paper is to look at the challenges which
this scourge posed to our national development and how it can be resolved.

Keywords: Corruption, Education, National Development

INTRODUCTION

Like most developing countries, Nigeria is faced with myriads of problems of which

corruption is at the zenith of it all. This ‘pandemic’ has assumed high epidemic proportion

and it is so contagious that the effect and impression can be felt and noticed by individuals

and the country at large. Quoting James Chen (2020) verbatim, corruption is dishonest

behavior by those in positions of power, such as managers or government officials.

Corruption can include giving or accepting bribes or inappropriate gifts, double-dealing,

under-the-table transactions, manipulating elections, diverting funds, laundering money and

defrauding investors.

One variable that is as constant as day and night in any society where corruption is a norm is

a colossal and monumental threat to the security and well being of the citizens and the nose-

diving and crippling of the state and her institution (Douglas O. Nwaokugba, Ph.D &

Magdaline Chinyere Ezeogwu (2017). If we remember very well in 2016, David Cameron

the former British Prime Minister was over-heard calling Nigeria and Afghanistan a
fantastically corrupt country when briefing the Queen of the arrival of the two nations to the

anti-corruption summit held in London that year, this goes a long way to show how corrupt

we are as a nation.

Transparency International (TI) defines corruption as “the abuse of entrusted power for

private gain”. Looking at this definition, we all will know that corruption goes beyond only

public office holders but also to every individual that have one way or the other at some point

in time abuse their constituted authority for selfish and personal gains. What unites all the

above definition of corruption it is a means by which an authority uses his position to amaze

wealth or gain undue advantages for himself or his associates.

WHAT IS ACADEMIC CORRUPTION

Mahfouz A. Adedimeji (2015), “academic corruption involves all forms of deviation from

justice, honesty, fairness, probity, impartiality and discipline expected from institutions of

learning. Academic corruption is a product of moral decadence exuded by few people in the

academic sector which now manifest itself to the detrimental of the academic sector and the

set goal of education in the country.

Many providers of higher education in Nigeria are for-profit-making only, thus they have

little understanding of academic values because they are in the business only to make money.

When people who know the real value of education and the new providers meet, there will be

clash of culture and possible corruption.

FORMS OF ACADEMIC CORRUPTION

Prof. A. B. Kasozi explains that academic corruption includes, though not limited to

fabrication, deception, cheating, bribery, favouritism, sex-for-mark, sabotage, professional

misconduct on the part of lecturers, impersonation on the part of students as well as the use of

institutional authority or name for personal gain in the process of higher education delivery or

reception. Other forms of academic corruption will be highlighted and expatiated below
ADMISSION RACKETEERING: This is an obvious perversion of the admission process. It

is an illegal process in which an admission seeker pay a certain person(s) an amount of

money in order to gain admission into tertiary institution. This process put the brilliant

students who are unable to pay the astronomical fees charged by the racketeers at a

disadvantage because despite their brilliance, they might not be able to gain admission to

study the course of their choice while the average but rich students will be admitted.

Folaranmi Victor (2014) termed this process as “enthronement of mediocrity over

meritocracy”.

PLAGIARISM: This is the intentional or unintentional presenting of another’s words or ideas

without clear and proper acknowledgement.

a. Using the exact words, even short phrases, from a source without quotation marks

and/or without proper citation.

b. Using the sentence structure of an author without proper citation.

c. Paraphrasing ideas or words obtained from a source without proper citation.

d. Summarizing ideas obtained from a source without proper citation.

e. Attributing material to a source other than the source from which the material was

obtained (faking citations).

f. Submitting work prepared by someone else, including work obtained from

internet essay sites or other students.

g. Helping other students to plagiarize on an essay or during a test by allowing them

to copy or transmitting answers to them in other ways.

h. Using an assignment for more than one class without the express permission of

both instructors.

i. Citing a source in the text of a paper but not providing full documentation of the

source in a bibliography or works cited page, OR documenting sources on a works

 cited page or bibliography but not providing source citation in the text of the

paper.

j. Writing a group paper which each student turns in as his or her own work.

FABRICATION AND FALSIFICATION: Purposely altering information or inventing

information, citation, or data.

Some examples may include:

a. A student changes a graded work and then challenges the instructor’s evaluation.

b. A student invents a reference source or provides a false claim of how the information

was gathered or collected; false citation of a source of information (e.g. listing an

author, title, or page number as the source for the obtained information, but the

material actually came from another source). (see also plagiarism)

c. A student forges signatures or falsifies information on forms, such as drop/add forms,

incomplete forms, petitions, letters of excuse or permission, grade reports, or any

other official University document.

MULTIPLE SUBMISSIONS: Submitting the same work or substantial portions of the same

work in a course for credit more than once without the permission of the instructor;

submitting the same work in more than one course without the permission of both instructors.

COMPLICITY: Knowingly allowing another student to copy one’s work during an

examination or knowingly allowing another student to copy one’s essay, research project, or

other assignments; failing to adequately protect test answers, notes, essays, or other projects

or assignments.

ABUSE OF ACADEMIC MATERIALS: Purposely destroying, stealing, or making materials

inaccessible for others; removing materials from the library without formally checking them

out; refusing to return reserved materials.

UNAUTHORIZED POSSESSION: Buying or stealing exams; selling exams; failing to return

exams to the instructor; photocopying exams; any unauthorized possession of exams.

MISREPRESENTING: Taking an exam or quiz or completing any academic assignment for

another person; having someone do the same for him/her.

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

According to UN Decade report, ”National development is growth plus change in turn is

social, cultural as well as economic and qualitative as well as quantitative.” In his words,

John Vaizey an economist noted that “National development is the total effect of all citizens

forces and addition to the stock of physical, human resources, knowledge and skill.” National

development can be best achieved through strategic planning mapped out by the country and

consciously following the plan consistently.

The first National Development plan policy was formulated between the year 1962 and 1968

with the objectives of developing opportunities in health, education and employment

opportunities. The plan failed because fifty percent of resources needed to finance the plan

was to come from external sources and only fourteen percent of the external finance was

received (Ogwumike, 1995).

The second national development plan was launched in 1974 after the civil war of 1970 with

priorities in agriculture, industry, transport, manpower, defence, electricity, communication,

water supply and provision of social services. The third plan which covered 1975 to 1980

placed emphasis on rural development and agricultural sector while the fourth plan

recognized the role of social services, health services, etc was implemented in 1981 through

1985. The objectives of the fourth national development plan was aimed at: an increase in the

real income of the average citizen, more even distribution of income among individuals and

socio-economic groups, increased dependence on the country’s material and human

resources, a reduction in the level of unemployment and underemployment (Ogwumike,

1995).

National development is the change in growth and development, which includes social,

cultural and economic change. It is the ability of a country to improve the social welfare of

the people. It would be the expansion and growth of people in the a defined territory or

government. In 1971, UNO gave the factors for National Development:

 Equal living standard for all.

 Equal share of all in profit.

 Similarly, Equal distribution of income and capital.

 Expansion of facilities regarding education, health, shelter and social welfare.

 Preservation of environment.

SCOPE OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

 National Development seeks to remove poverty.

 It improves the National Income as well as per-capita income.

 It develops quality in Education.

 In addition, it brings revolutionary change in the field of Agriculture.

 It develops Transport and Communication.

 Development of Medical facilities.

 On the contrary it controls pollution and environmental hazard.

 Use of Science and Technology.

 Preservation and development of nature and environment.

 Development of the economic condition of the people living in the particular country.

 Development of the socio-economic condition of the people.

 Introduction of welfare scheme of people for the betterment of their life and standard of

living.

 Development of an impartial and well-organized political system.

 It encompasses the preservation, enrichment and development of culture.

 Moreover, it promotes the concept of sustainable development.

EFFECT OF ACADEMIC CORRUPTION ON NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

“Education is a human right with immense power to transform. On its foundation rest the

cornerstones of freedom, democracy and sustainable human development.” -Kofi Annan

Corruption in the educational sector have greatly undermined the education sector in the

country that most employers of labour now see graduates of Nigeria tertiary institution as

unemployable. We must know that education helps to develop the intellectual capability of a

country by producing its own pharmacist, engineers, accountants, bankers, etc. now a nation

where corruption have eaten deep into this kind of institution is doomed to fall.

It is safe to infer that education is fundamental in achieving national development anywhere

in the world, however the presence and the prevalence of corruption generally in the

education sector cannot create rooms for realistic national development to take place. Every

plans, moves and provisions for improved facilities in the education industry end up being

embezzled or misappropriated with gross impunity without corresponding provisions of the

infrastructure being provided for and without fear of the anti-corruption agencies. Corruption

is responsible for the lack of adequate infrastructures in our institution of learning.

The neglect of student welfarism and motivation, staff welfarism and motivation, making the

academic environment non-conducive for knowledge acquisition are all products of

corruption. High unethical practices among lecturers and stakeholders in the educational

sector which poses threat to the academic standard and quality of the Nigeria’s education

industry which will have a negative effect on the quality of the manpower produced by the
education system can only harm the nation and we should not expect such nation to develop.

This decay in the educational system have done more harm than good to Nigeria and even to

the populace at large.

CONCLUSION

The implications of academic corruption for our society are already stark. Our schools are

filled with incompetent teachers who had been “pushed” through higher institutions of

learning. When students start giving bribes to lecturers so as to pass results in unqualified

personnel being shipped out in bulk as graduate of our institutions and appointing lecturers

based on nepotism and favoritism instead of merit results to the blind leading the blind, thus

unqualified people will be graduated to take charge of the economy and result in palpable

crash of the economy having negative effects on the national development

Our hospitals have become mortuaries because doctors were not well trained as medical

students appear more interested in the title than a career of saving lives. Our buildings

collapse and fatalities occur because poor teaching and poor learning resulted in theoretical

engineers that are bereft of quality. Mediocre professionals and amateur experts dominate

national horizons running and ruining the nation. It is therefore worth re-echoing, for our

collective peace and development, that lecturers should be the vanguards of academic

discipline and integrity.

RECOMMENDATION

One of the ways of addressing academic corruption is the institutionalisation of assessment of

lecturers by students. It gives students some power and it provides a sort of checks and

balances. Another one is using transparency in appointing lecturers and promoting them base

on research work done and not connections can only improve the quality of graduates we

have and those graduates will in turn be an asset to the nation.

Challenging corruption in Nigeria education industry requires a drastic change and radical

revolution initiated where accountability and transparency becomes the watchword in the

country so that every citizens can be alerted to hold public office holders, contractors,

lecturers and other stakeholders in the education sector accountable for projects that are

meant for the populace.

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