Media role in checking corrupt practices in covid-19 era in Nigeria

Abstract The outbreak of corona virus in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and which later spread to all parts of the world including Nigeria was an eye opener to Nigerians, regarding the selfishness and wickedness of some Nigerian politicians. This is coming from the fact that during the period, most Nigerians were starving and dying from hunger instead of dying from the pandemic itself. While governments in other parts of the world were providing for their citizens, most Nigerians were left to their fates, as even where attempts were made to do so, those in charge of doing it diverted the whole food items for their families and cronies. This study examined media role in checking corrupt practices in Covid-19 era in Nigeria. Basing the paper on analytical review of existing literature, and establishing it on the theory of functionalism, the paper found that there are different kinds of corruption such as: political, electoral and bureaucratic corruption. The paper concluded that corruption has eaten deep into the fabric of our dear nation, and that no nation can fight corruption successfully without the assistance of the mass media as channels of information dissemination. As a result, it recommended that Nigeria should know that corruption is not peculiar to her hence; she can overcome the menace with sheer determination, and that all hands must be on deck to help the present administration under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari to win the war against this endemic cancer. Key Words: Media, Corruption, Practice, Functionalism, Covid-19 JCMR Journal of Communication and Media Research, Vol. 14, No. 1, Special Issue 2, June 2022, pp. 80-84 © Association of Media and Communication Researchers of Nigeria (AMCRON). About the authors *Joseph Obi Ngwokor is of the Department of Mass Communication, The Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, Nasarawa State, Nigeria **Ekwem Nwabueze is of the Department of Mass Communication, The Federal Polytechnic, Nasarawa, Nasarawa State, Nigeria Article Citation Ngwokor, J. O. & Nwabueze, E. (2022). Media role in checking corrupt practices in covid-19 era in Nigeria. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 14 (1, SP. 2): 80-84. Full Article Words: 3041 Pages: 5 To access full article, click on download.