Abstract
Corruption
has long been harmful and dangerous to the development of Nigeria systems. This
study therefore, sheds light on the scourge of materialism and relevant
institutions. The sociological theory, which supports investigation unto the
function of systems in the society, has been deployed in this study. One of the
findings of the research is that, social systems, presently, malfunctions. The
researcher concludes that the only antidote to this is a total war on
corruption.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract
Table of Contents
Chapter one:
General introduction
1.0 Introduction
and Statement of the Research Problem
1.1 Purpose
of Study
1.2 Justification
of the Study
1.3 Scope
and Deliminitation
1.4 Research
Methodology
Chapter two :Literature Review
2.0
Introduction to Literature Review
2.1 Sociological
Theory
2.2 Views
of Critics on Sociological Theory
2.3 Sociological
Perspectives
2.3.1 Functionalist Approach
2.3.2 Marxist Approach
2.3.3 Feminist Approach
2.3.4 Moralist Approach
2.4 Review
of the Literature on Corruption
2.5 Perspectives
on the Phenomenon of Corruption
2.6 Conclusion
Chapter three: critical analysis
3.0
Introduction to Critical Analysis
3.1 The Scourge of
Materialism
3.2 Traditional
Materialism
3.3 Conclusion
Chapter Four: conclusion
4.0
Introduction to Conclusion
4.1 Antidotes
for Corruption in Adaobi’s I Do Not Come
to You By Chance and Labo’s The Climate of Corruption
4.3 Conclusion
Bibliography
Chapter one
General introduction
1.0 Introduction
and statement of the research problem
Corruption refers to any act of
practice which is deviant to the norm of a given society. It signifies a form
of behaviour that departs from morality, ethics, tradition, law and civic
virtue.
Corruption is a phenomenon which
reaches far beyond the giving, demanding, and receiving of bribes, by money by
public officials. Corruption is an “Umbrella offence” as it covers a variety of
illegal activities.
Bayley David supports this
perspective. He argues that corruption, while being tied particularly to the
act of bribery, is a general term covering the misuse of authority. In essence,
it is a result of considerations of personal gains, which need not be monetary
(720).
Joseph Nye opines that corruption is
behaviour which deviates from the normal duties of a public role because of
private-regarding (family, close private clique), peculiarly or status gains or
violates rules against the exercise of certain types of private-regarding
influence. This includes such behaviour as bribery (use of reward to pervert
the judgement of a person in a position of trust) nepotism, (bestowal of
patronage by reason as ascriptive relationship rather than merit), and
misappropriation (illegal appropriation of public resources for private –
regarding uses),(419).
According to Carl Friedrich,
individuals are said to be engaging in corruption when they are granted power
by society to perform certain public duties. The result of societal expectation
from public officer sometimes precipitate corrupt tendencies because the holder
of the office is expected to meets certain demands above his income (15).
Bayart and Hibron, cited in Akano
see corruption as a malaise that currently afflicts African states. Due to
this, Governments in Africa have ceased to operate as political entities and
become willing participate in a wide-range of corrupt and criminal activities
(69).
In another perspective, Alam defines
corruption in developing countries as an unavoidable outcome of modernization
and development. “In Africa, many people see corruption as a practical problem
involving the Outright theft, embezzlement of funds or other appropriation of
state property, nepotism and the granting of favours to personal acquaintances
the use of public authority and position to exact payments and privilege (Harsch:
33).
Pita Agbese has observed that in
post independence Nigeria, all political coalitions and groups have been
engaged in determined efforts to capture the apparatus of state in order to use
the state’s redistributive powers to a mass wealth for themselves. Soon after
capturing the government, the incumbent regime usually erects significant
barriers to entry and monopolizes the study of legislation, thus making certain
that other groups do not participate in the allocation of resources. For locked
out groups, participation in the economic systems must be obtained through
payment of bribes to incumbent bureaucrats, all of whom are members of the politically
dominant group (229-230).
Nigeria is not the only country in
Africa in which the apparatus of government has become an instrument for the
enrichment of members of the politically dominant group. SouthAfrica, long
regarded by many scholars in the West as a bastion for free enterprise in Africa,
has for many years promoted laws that allowed white minority to use the
redistributive powers of the state to enrich itself, while sentencing the black
majority to perpetual poverty and deprivation (Mbaku).
Odugbemi cited in Akindele, support
this perspective. He argues that corruption is a major problem in developing
countries, a problem which diverts countries scarce resources away from
development and eradication of poverty (7).
Corruption has affected the entire
social systems in Africa and especially in the Nigerian society. Kurata cited
in Akindele, quotes former United States of America Bill Clinton as describing
Africa as “A continent with enormous potential afflicted with the devastating
effects of corruption” (18).
Corruption at the level of religion
is the act of using fear and ignorance to control and manipulate people for the
betterment of a select group or individuals.
At the level of education,
corruption is any attempt to influence, illegitimately, the process of
endorsing the capacity of learners for a higher academic level, acquisition of
knowledge or skills with a view to obtaining undue advantages for one or more
parties.
Advanced Fee Fraud is a phrase used
to describe scam related offences on large-scale projects and investments or
illegal huge currency transactions. Basically, the scam involves pre-payment of
some amount of money to the fraudster for an agreed course of action, which the
fraudster may never execute.
Many of the Nigerian writers have
written about corruption as a theme. Nigerian writers exposed the social ills
in terms of socio-cultural, racial, political, economic exploitation between
the blacks in the Nigerian society. For instance, Achebe’s A Man of the People (1966) attacks corruption as a way of using
one’s position to become rich.
Similarly, in Olu Obafemi’s Wheels (1997) corruption is a dishonest
way of misusing power for ones advantage especially for money. Also, in Helon
Habila’s Waiting for An Angel (2002),
corruption manifests through excessive government regulation that hinders the
proper functioning of the people. Teju Cole’s Everyday for the Thief (2007) exhibits the greedy and selfish
dimensions to corruption.
Understandably, then, scholars have
shown great deal of interest in the problems of corruption. Scholars have been
equally pre-occupied with the work of literature and re-interpretation of the
work by examining and re-examining of matters related to the social development
of the country.
An interesting dimension is,
however, seen in Adaobi Nwaubani’s I Do
Not Come To You By Chance (2009) and Labo Yari’s The Climate Of Corruption (2009) major attraction lies not only in
its dramatic depiction of life in the Nigerian society but also in how the
events and developments they describe fictionally for the contemporary society
equally hold true under sub-sequent regimes in Nigeria. Adaobi and Labo explore
how ordinary people are affected by the larger issues of found in the Nigerian
society.
This research questions could be
rendered thus:
[i] Is education an achievement?
[ii] Can Advanced Fee Fraud be an alternative to
unemployment?
[iii] Do religious values stand for materialism?
[iv] Could family support enhance success?
1.1
purpose of
study
The purpose of the study is to
identify the presentation of corruption in the two novels of Adaobi Nwaubani’s I Do Not Come to You By Chance (2009)
and Labo Yari’s The Climate of Corruption
(2009).
This study seeks to examine the
action and reaction of both writers toward the problems of corruption and the
way they have proffer solutions to solve the problems that faces many young
Nigerian society.
This research work will discover the
peculiar levels of corruption in two novels to show how corruption has eaten
deep into the family, education and religious institutions.
1.2
Justification
of the study
In recent times, more and more
attention has been devoted to corruption in Nigeria and the effects of racism,
struggle for societal refinement among the black race and corruption as a state
of despair.
This study is being embarked upon
because corruption is dangerous and harmful to the systemic existence of any
society. It should be discouraged in the society because once it sets into any part;
it automatically contaminates all the society.
This study also aims at seeing the
effective role played by literary artists in correcting social ills in the
society. This is therefore highlighting the presentation of corruption in the
two novels chosen in order to expose the social decadence in the Nigerian
society.
1.3
Scope and
delimitation
It will be clear from the purpose of
study that even though the impetus for this study that even though the impetus
for this study was generated in the Nigerian society, the scope of the study
has been restricted to the novels of Adaobi Nwaubani’s I Do Not Come To You By Chance (2009) and Labo Yari’s The Climate Of Corruption (2009). This restriction has been dictated by the
need to attempt social issues within the novels. This will enable the
researcher to focus attention on the aspects of religion, education and
Advanced Fee Fraud in the novels.
The
restriction notwithstanding, however, there is strong indication from the
available literature that the conclusions will be generalized to many people in
the contemporary Nigerian society.
1.4 Research
methodology
The intention of this research work
is to examine corruption in novels of Adaobi Nwaubani’s I Do Not Come to You By Chance (2009) and Labo Yari’s The Climate of Corruption (2009) through
sociological theory.
Sociological
theory is the internal motive of the work of art which exposes the relationship
between art and society. This will lead to the critical analysis of the two
novels which aim is to identify corruption as a problem in the Nigerian
society.
Ogunjimi
argues that sociological theory is relevant because art has a role to play in
the development of the society.
Inkeles
cited in Lai Olurode states that the major proponents of sociological theory
namely Comte, Spencer, Dukheim and Weber support the opinion that sociological
theory is the appropriate theory that believes in the didactic nature of
literature because it sensitizes the society (21).
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