2015 Edition Vol 2. 103 A Multidisciplinary Journal Publication of the Faculty of Science, Adeleke University, Ede, Nigeria Curbing Corruption in Nigeria Using Service Innovation Ekomwenrenren, I. & + Ekuobase, G. Department of Computer Science University of Benin Benin City, Nigeria iekomwenrenren@yahoo.com; godspower.ekuobase@uniben.edu +Corresponding Author ABSTRACT Service innovation – the exploitation of ICT to solve peculiar problems or increase the value of an organization or society – enforces automation, transparency, monitoring and anonymity and has become an effective preventive corruption nightmarish. Corruption is a global threat to the peace and comfort of the human species. It has in particular reduced Nigeria, a land apparently flowing with ‘milk and honey’ to ‘a beggar nation’ living in fear and at the verge of extinction. Nigeria on survival instincts has put up punitive fight against corruption only to find her anti-corruption instruments subservient to corruption. This paper, exposed corrupt activities in Nigeria, the devastating effect of corruption on Nigeria’s socio-economic sphere, stimulates and prescribed preventive service innovative measures to curbing corruption in Nigeria. Keywords: ICT4D, Nigeria, corruption, service innovation and ICT. 1. INTRODUCTION Corruption is a universal socio-economic disease that manifest in varying forms and degree in every society [14, 26]. Corruption often perceived as the misuse or abuse of public office for private gains, symptomizes as bribery, extortion, fraud, nepotism, grafts, misappropriation, embezzlement, falsification of records, kickbacks, influence peddling, and campaign contributions among others [14, 21, 27, 30]. More often, corruption stems from greed, pride, ego, intimidation, impatience, insecurity, immorality and favouritism [21, 26] resulting in the socio-economic degradation of infected society. This degradation usually result in poverty, poor infrastructure, systems collapse, unemployment, high mortality, epidemic, illiteracy, unskilled labour, social vices, youth restiveness, insecurity, civil disobedience, criminality, social unrest and even war in the society where corruption thrives [3, 18, 24, 27]. It is therefore evident that no nation or organization infested with corruption can attain its full potentials. Nigeria, though one of the richest African nation is infested with corruption and is seriously suffering from these socio-economic degradations [16, 21]. A little wonder, Nigeria has not been able to attain her set socio-economic developmental goals and place of pride in the League of Nations. The people and successive governments of Nigeria have come to terms with this fact leading to the enactment of legislation and anti-grafts agencies like Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and special anti-corruption courts like Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) [16, 24, 28]. In particular, the Nigerian people strongly aligning themselves to this fact, made corruption the crux of their choice of leadership in the last 2015 general election which saw to the emergence of Mohammadu Buhari whose major campaign thrust was hinged on uprooting corruption in Nigeria as the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is however unfortunate that these efforts have not been able to abate corruption in Nigeria but rather corruption is on the increase. The most culpable reason for this is implementation caused by corruption itself [24, 28]. Studies also revealed that a huge chunk of Nigerian’s efforts at checking corruption is punitive and not preventive [21, 28]. Preventive means of curbing corruption has been proven more effective [13, 15, 17]. Preventive means of curbing corruption is highly dependent on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as it enforces automation, transparency, monitoring and anonymity [9, 15, 17, 23, 25]. Most countries that have been able to take advantage of these preventive measures using ICT are rated among the least corrupt nations in the world by Transparency International [5]. We however noted that the deployment of ICT towards checking corruption varies among these nations. This is probably due to their varying norms and legislations. Consequently, ICT needs to be uniquely exploited to curb corruption in any organization or nation. The exploitation of ICT to solve peculiar problems or increase the value of an organization or society is termed service innovation [6].