Broadcast Media’s Watchdog Role in Nigeria’s Anti-Corruption Efforts: An Integrative Literature Review
Main Article Content
Abstract
Corruption is a major impediment to development in most African countries in general and Nigeria in particular. In Nigeria, corruption accounts for many of the problems confronting the country. It is a leviathan that depletes the resources of the Nigerian state. The purpose of this study was to examine how the broadcast media could fight corruption and the challenges they face in doing so. The study was anchored in agenda-setting theory and adopted the integrative review method. The findings revealed that the broadcast media could fight corruption by consistently featuring corruption cases in their reports and using investigative journalism to uncover hidden cases of corruption. The study also found that institutions in Nigeria are either weak or compromised, posing a challenge to the fight against corruption because perpetrators may ultimately go unpunished. Media owners were found to use their media organisations to influence public opinion, suppress the truth, deny opposing views access to the media, disseminate false information, engage in character assassination and settle political scores. The findings further revealed that the safety and security of journalists covering corruption cases in Nigeria are not guaranteed. Corruption within the media, in the form of junkets, freebies and brown envelopes, was also identified as an obstacle to the fight against corruption. These findings imply that without strong institutions, the safety of journalists and a corruption-free media ecosystem, the media can hardly succeed in the fight against corruption in Nigeria. Therefore, for the broadcast media to make meaningful progress in combating corruption, policies and regulations are needed to strengthen institutions, curb undue ownership influence, and guarantee the safety and security of journalists.
Downloads
Article Details
Issue
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
Adeyanju, A., & Ojebode, A. (2018). The press and the anti-corruption struggle in Nigeria. Journal of Communication and Media Research, 10, 45–62.
Adegbola, O., Aromona, O., & Elega, A. A. (2025). When public relations ethics clash with reality: How PR professionals negotiate “brown envelope” practices in interactions with journalists. Public Relations Review, 51(1), Article 102534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2024.102534
Aja, S. U., Chukwu, J. N., Obichili, M. I., Odoh, V. O., Ngene, I. A., & Opara, N. (2024). Perception and practice of the watchdog role among journalists in Nigeria. Journal of African Media Studies, 16(2), 217–236. https://doi.org/10.1386/jams_00122_1
Eke, C., Okure, E. G., & Ikebude, O. D. (2025). Communicating governance and cultural integrity: The role of broadcast media in combating corruption in Nigeria. American Journal of Arts and Communication, 10(2), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15183419
Enweremadu, D. U. (2012). Anti-corruption campaign in Nigeria (1999–2000): The politics of a failed reform. IFRA-Nigeria.
Gainaka, M. A., Alsagoff, S. A., & Ahmad Ghazali, A. H. (2020). Exploring the absence of watchdog journalism in Nigeria broadcast media. Humanities and Social Sciences Reviews, 8(1), 480–490. https://doi.org/10.18510/hssr.2020.8159
Henshaw, E. E. (2024). Reporting on political corruption in Nigeria: Sources, ownership affiliations, and other determinants of news frames [Doctoral thesis, City, University of London]. City Research Online. https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/33180/
Holum, M. (2023). Citizen participation: Linking government efforts, actual participation, and trust in local politicians. International Journal of Public Administration, 46(13), 915–925. https://doi.org/10.1080/01900692.2022.2048667
Kaplan, D. E. (2013). What is investigative journalism? Global Investigative Journalism Network. https://gijn.org/about-us/investigative-journalism-defining-the-craft/
Komolafe, A., Hitchen, J., & Kalu-Amah, O. (2019). Corruption coverage: The role of the media during Nigeria’s 2019 elections. SOAS Anti-Corruption Evidence, SOAS University of London. https://ace.soas.ac.uk/publication/corruption-coverage-the-role-of-the-media-during-nigerias-2019-elections/
Komolafe, A., Kalu-Amah, O., & Hitchen, J. (2019). Setting the agenda or toeing the line? Corruption news coverage during Nigeria’s elections. SOAS Anti-Corruption Evidence, SOAS University of London. https://ace.soas.ac.uk/publication/setting-the-agenda-or-toeing-the-line-corruption-news-coverage-during-nigerias-elections/
Komolafe, A., Nkereuwem, E., & Kalu-Amah, O. (2019). Corruption reporting in the media in the 2015 Nigerian elections: Setting the agenda or toeing the line? SOAS Anti-Corruption Evidence, SOAS University of London. https://ace.soas.ac.uk/publication/corruptionreporting-in-the-media-in-the-2015-nigerian-elections-setting-the-agenda-or-toeing-the-line/
Lippmann, W. (1922). Public opinion. Harcourt, Brace and Company.
McCombs, M. E., & Shaw, D. L. (1972). The agenda-setting function of mass media. Public Opinion Quarterly, 36(2), 176–187. https://doi.org/10.1086/267990
National Bureau of Statistics, & United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2024). Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and trends—Third survey on corruption as experienced by the population. https://www.unodc.org/conig/uploads/documents/3rd_corruption_survey_exec_sum_2024_07_09_web.pdf
Norris, P. (2014). Watchdog journalism. In M. Bovens, R. E. Goodin, & T. Schillemans (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of public accountability (pp. 525–542). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199641253.013.0015
Ojebode, A. (2013). Ethical dilemma revisited: PBO newspapers and the professional elbowroom of the Nigerian journalist. Journal of African Media Studies, 5(3), 295–312. https://doi.org/10.1386/jams.5.3.295_1
Ojo, T. (2018). Media ownership and market structures: Banes of news media sustainability in Nigeria? Media, Culture & Society, 40(8), 1270–1280. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443718803264
Okunna, C. S., & Omenugha, K. A. (2021). Introduction to mass communication (3rd ed.). New Generation Education.
Olukotun, A. (2004). Media accountability and democracy in Nigeria, 1999–2003. African Studies Review, 47(3), 69–90. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0002020600030456
Omula, E., & Ogbole, R. (2024). Perspectives on the watchdog functions of the media in Nigeria. Wukari International Studies Journal, 8(4), 131–139.
Oyelaja, O. J., & Akinwumi, A. (2019). Media and anti-corruption crusade in Nigeria. Journal of Mass Communication & Journalism, 9(2), 1–8.
Sa’idu, I. (2024). The politics of insecurity reportage in northern Nigeria. Wukari International Studies Journal, 8(1), 152–164.
Stapenhurst, R. (2000). The media’s role in curbing corruption. World Bank Institute. https://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/893191468766225068/pdf/multi-page.pdf
Suleiman, S. A. (2017). Investigative reporting and press coverage of corruption in Nigeria (1999–2012) [Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia]. UEA Digital Repository. https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/67856/
Suleiman, S. A. (2026). Investigative journalism in the Nigerian press: Strong watchdogs, weak investigators? African Journalism Studies, 47(1), 57–76. https://doi.org/10.1080/23743670.2025.2603445
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2022). Journalism is a public good: World trends in freedom of expression and media development—Global report 2021/2022. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000380618