International Cooperation and the Fight Against Corruption in Nigeria: An Assessment of the Role of International Organisations

• Post by: birpo
• October 2, 2026
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Aniude, Callista Ijeoma

Abstract         

Corruption remains a persistent governance and development challenge in Nigeria despite extensive domestic reforms and growing international cooperation. This study examines the nature and forms of international cooperation in combating corruption in Nigeria, assesses the role of international organisations in supporting Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts, and evaluates the challenges affecting the effectiveness of such cooperation. The study adopts a qualitative documentary research design and relies exclusively on secondary data obtained from peer-reviewed scholarly literature, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), World Bank, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Transparency International, Nigerian government publications, and documented international asset-recovery records. The analysis is guided by the neoliberal institutionalist perspective associated with Robert O. Keohane, which emphasises the capacity of international institutions to facilitate cooperation, information exchange, monitoring, and rule-based coordination among states. Findings indicate that international cooperation has taken the forms of treaty-based obligations, mutual legal assistance, extradition, information sharing, technical assistance, peer review, anti-money-laundering cooperation, and international asset recovery. International organisations have strengthened Nigeria’s institutional capacity and facilitated significant cooperation in recovering proceeds of corruption. However, weak domestic institutions, political interference, limited enforcement capacity, fragmented inter-agency coordination, difficulties in cross-border evidence gathering, and lengthy asset-recovery procedures constrain effectiveness. The study concludes that international cooperation is necessary but insufficient without credible domestic enforcement institutions and sustained political commitment.

Keywords: Corruption; international cooperation; international organisations; Nigeria; asset recovery; anti-corruption governance.Cite: Aniude, C. I.  (2026). International Cooperation and the Fight Against Corruption in Nigeria: An Assessment of the Role of International Organisations. Global Journal of Business Management and Leadership,4 (4), 191-212. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23102909