Corruption in Nigeria: A Critical Analysis of Selected Cartoons in the Nigerian Guardian Newspaper

Abstract The paper examines the root causes of shameful corrupt practices in Nigeria and the extent it has gone to destroy the nation’s fabrics. Top government spokespersons from United States of America and Britain have described the level which corruption has reached in Nigeria as “unbelievable” and confirmed that “graft retards nation’s growth”. In December 2011 the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index ranked Nigeria 143rd of 183 countries even as the Nigerian governments constantly claim to be fighting corruption in high and low places. To this end, the Nigerian government recently strengthened the anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC and ICPC. This study, focusing on newspaper cartoons, assessed the role of the print media in combating the imp. Using the content analysis research method, this study examines The Guardian newspaper weekday cartoon pages from January to June 2009. Results showed that in its subtle way, the cartoons condemned the Nigerian President; the Federal Government; Public Officials; The Police; Politicians; Commissioners; Governors; and Directors of Government Agencies/Commissions for reported graft cases. The study concluded, however, that the use of cartoons was not strong enough to combat corruption in the country. Key Words: Nigerian Government, Corruption, Corrupt Practices, Cartoons, Nigerian Guardian JCMRJournal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 4, No. 2, October 2012, 71 – 86. © Delmas Communications Ltd. About the author 1Dr. Victoria O. Ajala is a Reader in the Department of Mass Communication, Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State, Nigeria Full Article Words: 6,557; Pages: 17