118th AAU Inaugural Lecture: Don Advocates Corruption Free Polity As Panacea For Development, National Growth

By Esosa Omorogbe 

 A Professor of Public Administration, in the Department of Public Administration, Faculty of Management Sciences at Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, 

Prof. Samuel Olushola Ajagun, has posited that corruption in Nigeria, if unchecked now, will sink the nation into a depth of irredeemable poverty and underdevelopment. 

Prof. Samuel Olushola Ajagun who stated this while delivering the Ambrose Alli University's

118th Inaugural Lecture, the 13th in the Bi-monthly Series, entitled 

“Sink or Float? Interrogating Corruption and Poverty in Nigeria", said "Africa, with particular reference to Nigeria has the potentiality for national growth and development but for the high level of corrupt practices in our polity. 

"The interconnectivity between corruption and poverty is that corruption diverts resources meant for poverty alleviation, undermines institutions and the rule of law, and perpetuates inequality, limiting opportunities for marginalized groups. 

 

Prof Ajagun further said "For Nigeria to genuinely grow like other developed counties of the world, corruption and its spirit  must be discarded.  No nation develops in the face deteriorating and colossal corruption.  All the trappings of good governance  and a society free from corruption such as good Health care services, quality Education, Housing and other related infrastructures.  

Declaring the event open, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma 

Prof. Sunday Olowo Samuel, said

"Sink or Float? Interrogating Corruption and Poverty in Nigeria" is a thought-provoking title for exploring corruption and poverty in Nigeria.

Corruption is an abuse of power for personal gain in the form of bribery, embezzlement, nepotism, cronyism, etc. Corruption in Nigeria is prevalent in government, business, and public services, and it hampers economic growth and development and fuels poverty, inequality, and social injustice.

"The direct effect of corruption in Nigeria is that it breeds poverty. According to the World Bank, poverty is defined as living below $1.90/day and over 80 million Nigerians are currently living below this poverty line, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (2020). This has resulted in high unemployment, particularly among youth, and limited access to education, healthcare, and basic infrastructure. 

"Several efforts made to address corruption and poverty have not yielded the desired result, hence the need to harness every available knowledge in addressing the menace, the AVC said.

Highpoint of the event was the formal decoration of the inaugural lecturer, Professor Samuel Olushola Ajagun

The 118th Inaugural Lecture was the 6th presentation for the Faculty of Management Sciences while the Department of Public Administration  presents its 5th.

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