Corruption has become a cankerworm, which has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society. It has established itself in all spheres of the socio-economic and political realms of the nation. Instances of it have been acknowledged at international and global levels that innocent Nigerians are being exposed to intensive, rigorous scrutiny before being allowed to enter other countries, as if every Nigerian is a potential corrupt individual. In all honesty, some steps have been taken and are being taken by governments to check the menace of this obnoxious practice. Such include the 1979 Ethical Revolution, the War Against Indiscipline (WAI), the MAMSER, the War Against Indiscipline and Corruption (WAIC), and of recent, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). It is however our observation that the anti-corruption crusades have not accorded religion its expected roles in this direction. The non-recognition of religion as a viable instrument in the fight against corruption in Nigeria, has been responsible for instances where religion itself is being used to perpetrate it. This paper therefore intends to draw the attention of the Nigerian leaders to the relevance of religion in the fight against corruption and the imperative of integrating it in this crusade. Suggestions would be made on the modality for effective integrating religious virtues into the programme of fighting corruption from the perspective of Islam.
展开▼
