CORRUPTION IN THE NEW PUBLIC PROCUREMENT REGIME IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Corruption in the public procurement system has been a major obstacle to Nigeria’s economic development and, as such, it has remained one of the prime concerns of successive governments, both military and civilian, since independence. Prior to the advent of the Fourth Republic, corruption was perceived to have been prevalent owing to weak and inadequate procurement law and obsolete and unprofessional procurement practice, prompting reforms in the sector following the restoration of democracy in 1999. However, despite the legal and institutional changes introduced by the reforms, corruption persists and permeates every facet of the nation’s new public procurement practice.