Revista Universitară de Sociologie. Year XVII, Issue 2/2021 www.sociologiecraiova.ro 295 ‘A NATION BEWILDERED AND A STATE IN COMATOSE’: CORRUPTION AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA Isiaq Abdulwaheed ATANDA 1 , Adedoyin Jolaade OMEDE 2 , Saheed Rahman OLANREWAJU 3 1 PhD, University of Ilorin (Nigeria), Email: Abdulwaheedisiaq@gmail.com 2 PhD. University of Ilorin (Nigeria), Email: Doyinomede@gmail.com 3 Assistant Lecturer, Federal University Wukari (Nigeria), Email: Lanreandrahman@gmail.com Abstract: Tolerance for corrupt practices is gradually making the most populous black nation in the world- Nigeria becoming synonymous with corruption. The previous and the recent rating of Nigeria by Transparency International on the Corruption Perception Index between 2015 and 2019 greatly suggest Nigeria is enmeshed in corrupt practices. The prevalence of corruption in the country has constituted a clog that stifles the developmental efforts in the country. This paper explored the existing Nigeria-focused corruption literature and other scholarly works to dissect the impact of corruption on the socio-economic development of Nigeria. From the review of studies, it is revealed that corruption remains the biggest threat to socio-economic development in most countries of the world including Nigeria. The study also revealed that several developmental programmes in Nigeria have failed as a result of the high prevalence of corruption in Nigeria. Also, it was found that owing to years of corruption and the failure of the government to nip the menace in the bud, the poverty level is high, insecurity of lives and properties is alarming and infant and maternal mortality in the country is endemic and pandemic. Hence, Nigeria is described as a nation ‘bewildered’ and a state in ‘comatose’. The study recommends that appointment into various governmental institutions should be merit-based and democratization processes must be strictly adhered to in a bid to limit the corrupt act. Various governmental institutions should be strengthened in a bid to fast track other aligned institutions in the society such as the family, traditional and religious institutions. Key Words: Corruption; Development; Economy; Insecurity; Poverty. 1. Problem statement Among numerous other problems bedevilling Nigeria; the most populous black nation in the world is corruption. The prevalence of corrupt practices in the country is a complex cankerworm that has eaten deep into the fabric of every sphere of private and public lives of the people. Successive governments in the past have taken diverse steps to nip the scourge in the bud albeit with debatable degrees of success. Today, Nigerians applaud and tolerate ill-gotten wealth, the menace has permeated into all facets of the society; the family, the church, and even the traditional systems are not left out of this preventable but highly contagious disease. Corruption, therefore, affects the developmental efforts of the successive government in Nigeria. This has been responsible for the non-completion of projects and programmes that would have helped in alleviating the sufferings of Nigerians. Like every other country, no quantum development can be attained in a country where corruption strives such as Nigeria. Considering the alarming level of looted resources currently experienced in Nigeria, as revealed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) one ponders whether