5. Introduction
5.4 Why Corruption Seems to be on the Increase in the Public Sector in Post-Colonial
The rate of corruption in post-colonial Africa may be said to be on the increase.
According to Hope and Chikulo the entrenchment of corruption in Africa points to the fact that something has gone wrong in the governance of the individual nation- states. Institutions, which are designed for the regulation of the relationships between citizens and the state, are used instead for the personal enrichment ofcivil servants (politicians and bureaucrats) and other corrupt private agents (individuals, groups, businesses) (Hope and Chikulo, 2000: 1).
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There are several factors which may be responsible for the great increase in the public sectors‟ corruption since independence in most of the African states.
One of the factors is that, there are certain cultural practices which seemed to be acceptable in pre-colonial Africa but are now considered as corruption. One of such cultural practice is the extended family sysrem. Such a practice, (favouring members of one‟s family) as earlier indicated, was not seen as corruption before the coming of Western rule. But the same practice in the form of nepotism is today judged to be corruption in the public sector. David Apter explains that:
Nepotism, for example, is considered a grave offence in Western bureaucratic practice, yet in African practice providing jobs for the members of one‟s own family is socially compulsory. It is one of the normal forms of social security and job recruitment in traditional society and one of the crucial elements in the satisfactory maintenance of tribal social structure. When such practices are carried over into the administrative service, they break down into favouritism, corruption, and graft, in a Western-type bureaucratic setup (Apter, 1972:6).
Nepotism was acceptable in pre-colonial Africa because Africans did not see anything wrong in giving help to members of their family or friends. However, nepotism is considered as corruption andunacceptable within western bureaucratic system with which Africa has been governed since independence. When what is not considered corruption is added in the list of corrupt practices, the number of corrupt practices will naturally increase. Th intention here is not to excuse the immorality of nepotism in anyway or to justify the behaviour of Africans who engage in nepotism. Our point is that the imposition of western bureaucratic system, which is alien to basic African cultural practices, contributes in no small measure, not only in encouraging corruption but in increasing the number of what we see today as corruption.
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Another cause of corruption in post-colonial Africa is when civil servants are allowed to engage in private businesses that overlap with their official responsibilities as civil servants. Corroborating this point, Rose-Ackerman observes that, “in post-colonial Africa, many countries allow or encouraged civil servants to engage in business activities that overlapped with their official duties. The situations that result in conflict of interest leads to corruption as well as undermines the state efficiency” (Rose-Ackerman, 1999: 75). Rose-Ackerman here is talking about divided loyalty. She points out that:
The problem of divided loyalties is obvious.
Officials may unduly favour the business in which they have an interest at the expense of other firms that could perform public tasks more inexpensively or competently. Similar favouritism is possible in the regulatory and privatization context. No bribery is necessary. Officials simply follow their own economic self-interests. Because of these concerns, most developed countries forbid civil servants from involvement in decision in which they have a financial interest (Rose-Ackerman, 1999: 75).
The above quotation supports the idea that corruption in the form of favouritism occurs in the public sector when some civil servants engaging in other private business in which they have financial interest. Thus, when civil servants involve themselves in other business there is always the problem of divided loyalties in the public. This explains why some governments prevent their civil servants from participating in politics to ensure that they will only be loyal to the government in power.
Related to what this thesis says concerning western bureaucracy and the increased rate of corruption in post-colonial African is the overall impact of modernization.
The force of modernization has affected so many traditional societies, especially in Africa, that what used to be accepted norms are today considered as corruption.
Take for instance, the example given by Ikegbu already citted in this thesis, “prior to colonial days, there were days meant for people to work in the chief‟s farm or
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whatever name it was given” (Ikegbu, 2003:44). An average pre-colonial African sees nothing wrong in this. In short, for him it would be a way of cementing the bond between members of the community. The chief whose farm was worked on could use that as an opportunity to show generosity and appreciation to his people by providing them with well prepared dishes. It will hardly be seen this way in modern society.
In post-colonial, such an act by a civil servant would be viewed as an abuse of office. The official will be accused of making use of public office for private gain.
This example suggests that there is a conflict between the modern and traditional norms which is a product of modernization. It is because of this conflict between the modern and traditional norms that some civil servants justify their corrupt practices, thereby increasing corruption in the post-colonial Africa.
The point this thesis is labouring clarify here is that there is a clash between traditional Africa norms contained in African culture and Western civilization that is projected by modernism. In this case, in every Africa state there is the existence of two powerful but contrary forces: the state law, which controls the stateand African traditional values which control Africans. On the one hand, a civil servant is required to keep state laws which control his life as a civil servant, on the other hand, he is required to abide by unwritten African traditional values which control his life as a member of the society. The effect is that many civil servants would choose to go against state laws instead of breaking the norms which bond them with their people resulting in corruption.