Weak-kneed media and festering corruption in Nigeria

Abstract

Characteristic greed, kleptomaniac behavior, and the impunity of Nigerian elites have become enemies of democratic growth in Nigeria. Corruption in Nigeria has become an issue of concern to scholarship. All domestic and international institutions, as well as legal frameworks put in place to check corruption continue to fail to yield measurable results. Festering corruption brings to the forefront the roles of the media in combating the menace. Using Down's 'issue-attention cycle' as the theoretical lens, this paper undertakes an examination of critical discourse of Nigerian media handling of corruption cases. This discourse analysis is backed up with the scholarly interpretation of documented materials on crime. It is established in the paper that corruption is ubiquitous and festering in Nigerian public space and that the Nigerian media are relatively weak and do not seem to provide consistent coverage of or undertake serious investigation of corrupt practices. The media also fail to take enduring practical steps to wipe out this social ill. Some of the Nigerian press and electronic media practitioners are also guilty of corrupt practices. The thesis is that corruption can only be reduced through sustained media pressure on political bodies to muster enough political will in the fight against corruption. Thus, it is suggested that Nigerian change their approaches and be consistent in their pursuit of values, attitudes, and fight against corruption by prodding speedy trial and conclusion of cases through the promotion of investigative journalism.