Challenges

Concerning the third question table 24 represents the basic challenges anti-corruption crusade faces in three countries.

Table 24. The Core Challenges of Anti-corruption Crusade: The Views of the Respondents (N=27)

Main Challenges Country(ies) in Preference

• Lack of independence and poor political will

• Poor funding and inappropriate personnel

• Poor attitudinal culture

• Lack of consistency

• Selective Persecution

• The notion that corruption cannot be flushed

• Just white paper framework

Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon.

Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon.

Nigeria and Cameroon.

Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon.

Nigeria and Cameroon Ghana

Cameroon

The respondents in three countries have stated their preferences here about the different challenges anti-corruption crusade faces. Some respondents in Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon stated that it is the lack of independence and poor political will that are the core challenges anti-corruption crusade faces. Again some re-spondents in Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon stated that it is poor funding and inappropriate personnel that are the core challenges anti-corruption crusade faces.

Poor attitudinal culture is what some respondents in Nigeria and Cameroon stated as the bane of anti-corruption crusade. Other respondents in Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon stated that the lack of consistency is one bane of anti-corruption cru-sade. Another bane of anti-corruption crusade in Nigeria and Cameroon according to some respondents is the selective persecution. Only respondents in Ghana stat-ed that the core challenge anti-corruption crusade faces is the notion that corrup-tion cannot be flushed. Finally, only respondents in Cameroon stated that core challenges anti-corruption crusade faces is the white paper framework phenome-non, because practicing what is written down on the paper is always mocked.

The respondents in three countries gave different answers based on different rea-sons. Though, it is difficult to state exactly the reasons for the different answers;

but it is deducible from my fieldwork experience that respondents at this level and answers given were influenced by different factors. Some were influenced by their own past personal experiences; others by their professional backgrounds;

others by their ethno-religious background; and others by their social orientations and groupings. According to some selected respondents in each country:

“Anti-corruption crusade in this country (Nigeria) is based on leap service, because even those that set up the agencies are corrupt.”(Nigeria)

“Anti-corruption crusade in Ghana is on the average, but a consistent approach can make it better and in living up to the people’s expectations.” (Ghana)

“Anti-corruption crusade is a two-standard crusade in Cameroon, because a lot of senior government officials and directors of state-owned enterprises who had engaged in embez-zlement of state funds are never questioned.” (Cameroon)

Concerning the matter of motivation in the three countries, large majority of the respondents (25) stated that the will for a better society is the basic motivation surrounding the crusade against corruption and unethical practices. The remaining respondents (2); one (1) in Nigeria and one (1) in Cameroon stated that there is no motivation at all. The answers given by respondents here are quite understanda-ble, because for every concern stakeholder or responsible citizen in any nation, the dream of living in a better society is always a priority. For the two (2) re-spondents in Nigeria and Cameroon who did not see any motivation at all, gave their answers out of frustration; they saw a high level of corruption and unethical practices presence in their societies, but concerned authorities or individuals were doing nothing to curb them. This last position shows why Ghana is much different from Nigeria and Cameroon in terms of corruption prevalence.

5.4 Summary

From the interview analysis, it was visible that ethical values and mechanisms like independence, expertise, integrity, ethical codes and sanctions, participation, collaboration, and enlightenment, equality, accountability, transparency, and mo-tivations are necessary in anti-corruption crusade in order to reduce corruption;

because they are the right processes and orientations that guarantee the most ac-ceptable standards of ethical behaviour and performance. Also from the interview, it was observed that good governance; good leadership and leadership by exam-ple; use of guidelines, ethical codes, and sanctions; anti-corruption laws, empow-ering anti-corruption agencies, and bills (freedom of information, whistleblower protection, witness protection, and removal of immunity clause); reward system and increase of salaries for workers; and education/enlightenment are core in-struments for taming corruption and unethical practices in the public service.

These instruments are also part of ethical governance.

It was discovered further from the interview that lack of independence and poor political will; poor funding and inappropriate personnel; poor attitudinal culture;

lack of consistency; selective persecution; the notion that corruption cannot be flushed; and the just white paper framework are the major challenges of anti-corruption crusade and agencies. These elements are the opposite representation of ethical governance or ethical values and mechanisms. Therefore, it is deducible that for anti-corruption crusade, which includes the setting up of anti-corruption agencies and general policies and procedures to be able to reduce corruption; eth-ical governance (etheth-ical values and mechanisms) is necessary. It is through this process that public trust for the whole anti-corruption processes can be positively affected.

Finally, it was discovered from the interview that corruption and efforts to reduce it are at different levels in the three countries; and the same applies to public trust for the processes of reducing corruption. Corruption is the most social ill or prob-lem in the three countries, but the prevalence level is higher in Cameroon, fol-lowed by Nigeria, and then before Ghana. Public trust for anti-corruption pro-cesses is higher in Ghana, followed by Nigeria, and then before Cameroon.

The effects of variation outlooks are as follow:

1. Causing a moderate effect in the reduction of corruption in Nigeria; a good effect in the reduction of corruption in Ghana; and a poor effect in the reduction of corruption in Cameroon.

2. Causing a more average disposition towards anti-corruption crusade in Nigeria; a more positive disposition towards anti-corruption crusade in Ghana; and a more negative disposition towards anti-corruption crusade in Cameroon.

3. Causing a more average assessment of anti-corruption crusade in Nigeria;

a more positive assessment of anti-corruption crusade in Ghana; and a more negative assessment of anti-corruption crusade in Cameroon.

4. Causing a more average assessment of Nigeria internationally; a more positive assessment of Ghana internationally; and a more negative assess-ment of Cameroon internationally.

5. Causing a more average trust assessment for ICPC; a more positive trust assessment for CHRAJ; and a more negative trust assessment for NACC.

6. Causing an average willingness in reporting to ICPC; a higher willingness in reporting to CHRAJ; and a lower willingness in reporting to NACC

The concept of rationality is relevant or tied to ethical governance, because ra-tionality concerns our thoughts that can be linked with the act of making some-thing meaningful or appropriate. The rationality of fighting corruption is to achieve a meaningful result that would help in the realization of a better society.

Anti-corruption crusade needs rationality to necessitate and arrange ethical values and mechanisms in the most productive orders. However, the main findings of this research are presented in the next chapter (6).

6 CONCLUSION

Theoretical Framework and the Research Questions to be Answered

This research is a comparative study that focused on the effects of ethical govern-ance on public trust, because of the problem of corruption in Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon. The comparative study was specifically, narrowed to the policies and procedures of anti-corruption crusade in the three countries through some selected federal anti-corruption agencies (ICPC in Nigeria, CHRAJ in Ghana, and NACC in Cameroon).

Administrative ethics was understood to be key part of public administration re-search, because of its ethical dimensions on social and institutional issues. Theo-retical framing of this study has been used in describing public trust as part of ethical governance. Ethical governance was defined in this research, as the pro-cesses and orientations that guarantee the most acceptable standard of ethical be-haviour and performance. Ethical governance is the cumulative actions taken by managers or personnel to initiate and implement an ethical sensitive, conscious-ness, and structure that permeate all aspects of getting things done in a public ser-vice agency (Menzel 2001). Ethical governance is broad concept that is premised on the merger and meanings of ethics and governance; and was properly under-stood through some ethical values and mechanisms. In this study, public trust was on the other hand focused on through an understanding of trust in public admin-istration and management; and analysing the means of achieving trust. Public trust was also discussed within the realm of combating corruption through ideo-logical and institutional views. Above all, trust was defined as an attitude that we have towards a phenomenon we hope will be trustworthy.

The main task of this research has been to state that ethical governance is im-portant, because it can help in reducing corruption and increasing public trust. In addition, is the task of answering the questions of: 1) the natures of anti-corruption crusade within an ethical governance framework in the three countries;

2) countries’ differences in their outcomes to increase public trust and reduce cor-ruption; and 3) the core ways of increasing trust and fighting corruption in each country.

Assessment of Methodology

The methodology adopted in this research inquiry has been qualitative analysis within a comparative setting. The three-country case comparison is viable with qualitative description and interpretation. The general nature of the applied re-search has its various strengths and weaknesses. The qualitative method can gen-erate different questions based on its presumed narrow view; and when adopted along a comparative context, because comparison originally belongs to the quan-titative tradition or method. However, using the qualitative method in a research work with comparative setting of this nature is ideal, because the levels of varia-bles description and interpretation were not too in-depth, but a simple descriptive and interpretive analysis.

The anti-corruption agencies in the three countries were not set up the same year, because the agency in Ghana (CHRAJ) was set up first and then followed by the one in Nigeria (ICPC), before the one in Cameroon (NACC). However, the three agencies have a common goal of fighting corruption and bringing about a general good society. The three countries (Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon) have so many things in common, but they are also different in many regards. Nigeria and Ghana are more of English speaking nations, because of their long political and econom-ic relationships with Great Britain that span across the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial eras;. While Cameroon is more of a French speaking nation, be-cause of its long political and economic relationships with France that also span across the pre-colonial, colonial, and post-colonial eras. The countries different ties with Great Britain and France also have different respective effects on the nature and structure of governance in the three countries. Above all, the three countries are democratic nations, although the level of democracy is at different levels of efficacy.

This research is generalizable, because to some amount most developing coun-tries have anti-corruption agencies with the main tasks of reducing corruption and increasing public trust. This strategy can be applied in relation to some other de-veloping countries; with a guarantee of achieving similar or close results. It was obvious from the general analysis that the application of anti-corruption policies and procedures has a unique way of fighting or curtailing corruption and unethical practices. The general approach and positions in this research might not be the best, but to a great extent they satisfy necessary scientific requirements like mak-ing research judgements from official documents; and not specifymak-ing the name of any respondent under the direct interview quotations as requested by the respond-ents.

The policies and procedures of anti-corruption crusade in three countries and their compliance levels with ethical governance were examined through documents of the agencies stated above. Interviews conducted at different places of interest with experts serve different usefulness. Firstly, they help in understanding the meaning of ethical governance through ascertaining the types and relevance of ethical val-ues and mechanisms. Secondly, the interviews help in investigating public trust.

Lastly, the interviews help in seeing corruption as different issues and the chal-lenges faced in combating it.

The interviews and documents analysis in this research were useful, because they give special insights that help in answering the research questions. The total num-ber of interviews conducted in this research is sufficient, because the research is just a three-case comparison study. The interviews are also valid and reliable, because of their diverse and comprehensive natures. The documents used are val-id and reliable, because there is a balancing of national and international outlooks and they also represent official truth. However, one main limitation of this re-search work was the inability to get more people for the interview exercise, be-cause of the uncooperative nature of most of the people I had intended to inter-view.