Nigerian politician accused of embezzling $100M

According to an recent article by the Washington Post, a ranking member of Nigeria's national party supposedly embezzled a whopping $100 million from governmental funds designated for public projects. The politician in question, Abdullahi Adamu, was arrested after a more than yearlong investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. Agents of the commission requested access to his personal finance records in an effort to locate the stolen funds, likely taken from unfinished construction projects located in Nasarawa state. Adamu was governor of this area, and had easy access to large sums of money dolled out to states from oil revenue. Many governmental officials find it impossible to resist the temptation of these funds, and consequently Nigeria is widely known as one of the most corrupt nations in the world. This rampant corruption has yet to ignite the flames of political reform, however-- state governors are immune to prosecution while in office. Adamu currently holds the position of secretary to the board of trustees in the People's Democratic Party, the ruling party of Nigeria. It has yet to be disclosed as to whether the party with force the resignation of Adamu over recent allegations. These charges are among the first against high-profile individuals, and may signal the governments efforts of cracking down on the crippling corruption the country has been experiencing.


This article provides but one example of the unbridled corruption Nigeria is presently experiencing and is inadequately dealing with. This issue clearly devastates the already floundering legitimacy of the government, as Nigerians no longer trust the intentions of the policy makers. However, it is the masses fault for not holding government officials accountable for their frequently poor actions. By not confronting politicians, Nigerians are essentially permitting them to use public funds at their personal whim. Widespread corruption also damages the political institutions of the state, whose legislation allows leaders immunity from their decisions during their governorship. The fact that the national party refuses to disclose their opinion on the matter rather than providing a swift reaction shows that corruption has infiltrated the entirety of the political landscape in Nigeria.

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