CORRUPTION AND UNETHICAL PRACTICES: THE BANE TO NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This paper examined “corruption and the non observance of business ethics as the bane to nationaldevelopment”. The following concepts were considered in this paper: national development, corruption, ethics and business ethics. National development can be seen as a process of expanding the real freedom that people enjoy, focusing on human freedoms and individual incomes which are very important as means to demand the freedom enjoyed by the members of the society. It was concluded that the non observance of business ethics, moral decadence and corruption are the key setbacks to any meaningful national developmental stride. Like a cancer worms, these two negative traits wear down the national efforts to develop the society and to give the citizenry a minimum standard of living. Based on the conclusion the following recommendations were made: that corruption in whatever form must be fought head on and totally eliminated; business ethics must be inculcated in the citizenry especially in the students and the pupils who are the future leaders; the teaching of Civic Education must be stepped up; whistle blowing should continually be encouraged and that moral instruction, which is the key to character moulding, should never be over looked in nursery, primary secondary and even tertiary institutions.

Key words: National development,corruption, ethics and business ethics.