‘When I See the ‘Broom’, I Will Pass over You’: An Assessment of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Anti-Corruption Crusade in Nigeria, 2015-2019

Abstract

Corruption is a global phenomenon. Many states have embarked on several crusades to fight the menace, with little to show for these efforts. Using a critical analysis ofliterature, media reports and press releases, this articleassesses the anti-corruption crusade of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, 2015-2019. The article argues that in spite of the strategies and panoply of laws employed by the administration to tackle the menace, the crusade has to a large extent failed because the crusade is waged along ethnic and particularly party lines. The article recommends among other things the need for transparency in the crusade, building institutions, revival of social norms, political will, and respect of the rule of law.