THE WAR AGAINST CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA: THE ROLE OF PUBLIC OFFICERS

This study critically examined the role of public officers in promoting the war against corruption in Nigeria. The main objective of the study is to interrogate the efforts and supports of the public officers who manage public sector organizations in Nigeria towards winning the war against corruption in the country. The study made use of secondary data from in-depth desk review of books, journals, magazines, government documents, internet publications, newspapers etc. The data collected is qualitative in nature therefore content analysis was adopted as the method for data analysis. Also, the good governance theory d e veloped by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) in 2013 was adopted as the theoretical framework of analysis for the study. The major findings of the study identified poverty as the driving forces for corruption by the public officers in Nigeria, social or societal pressures and political instability. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended as an imperative and desideratum for the war against corruption to be won in Nigeria; public officers should always act in the public interest at all times. This entails strong commitment to integrity, ethical values, and the rule of law; as well as openness and comprehensive stakeholder engagement.