Abstract:
The paper examines the imperatives of good ethical conduct in the conduct of government business
in Nigeria. As government business grows in complexity with the adoption of technological
innovations in government, governance in Nigeria’s public sector becomes more problematic and
ethically tasking as a result of endemic corruption. An evaluation of the collapse of institutional
measures and codes of conduct puts in place to ensure high standard of behavior, using institutional
theory suggests that moral contradictions in institutional behavior expectation from the
public deepen daily. The perceived lack of an effective ethical organizational framework to coordinate
the activities of various institutions has astronomically worsened unethical practices such
as corruption in the Nigerian public service. The paper recommends a more realistic African traditional
approach to ethical restraint of public servants from indulging in corrupt behavior by
subjecting them to customary oath taking based upon the theistic values of fear of sin against
mother earth (Ani Casimir, 2009), (a departure from the western style, which sees public service
as no man’s business: Ekene, 2012). These core African values that emanate from theistic humanism
should also permeate the various anti-corruption organizational frameworks in Nigeria to
coordinate the national fight against corruption in the public sector. The behavioral and errant
departure of civil servants and Nigeria’s public service from the core human values that ensure
transparent private and public conduct of individuals have resulted in underperformance and
underdevelopment. It is perceived furthermore that this lack of public service commitment to
human values which would have enabled them to consider others above selfish interests, fear divine
retribution, dishonor of a good family name, distaste for greed and stealing of public good has
weakened the fight against corruption and turned it into a pedantic and cosmetic exercise without
results. Therefore, unethical practices and the systemic abandonment of core African human values
by the Nigerian public servants oil the wheel of public sector corruption in Nigeria.
