Analyzed and ‘Foreword-ed’ by Henry Omoregie
Growing up in Nigeria in the 1960s and 1970s was a potpourri of hope for the better as the years roll in (life was much more secure in the 70s and 80s than what we see today!) People could afford plentier things with littler resources than what is obtainable today.
Crime and corruption, rigging of ballots during election, indulging in examination malpractices and such anti-social conducts were frowned at by both the law, and the people.
Today we see people celebrating known crooks simply because they have loads of cash to splash around relatives, hangers on, bootlickers, praise-singers and others in their ‘good books.’
Talking about corrupt practices and writing about such crimes and criminality is seen these days by many people in the same Nigeria as foolish action of people who are no longer in government or seeking relevance. I do not blame such scoffers because we have seen people openly castigate and criticize government only to suddenly become turncoats, praising the same devilry they once publicly scorned.
Apart from the cost of living that is now higher in most parts of the world compared to the decades past, corrupt practices have now been willy-nilly internalized and ingrained in Nigerians behaviour and thought processes as a ‘normal thing’.
That NORMALIZATION OF CORRUPT PRACTICES is what is stultifying our growth as a local government, state or federal government, or even most parts of continental Africa. It is why there are different outcomes for the same crime in our societies.
Please read to understand if you do not know what PREBENDALISM is….
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Prebendalism is a political practice, first identified in Nigeria by Richard Joseph, where public office is viewed as a personal entitlement, allowing officeholders to appropriate public resources and revenue for themselves, their ethnic groups, and supporters, leading to corruption, clientelism, and stunted development.
This norm transforms the public service into a system of “prebends” or shared spoils, creating a deeply dysfunctional political system where access to public office is primarily a means to wealth and power rather than a platform for public service.
Key Characteristics of Prebendalism
1. Entitlement to Public Resources:
Public offices are seen as rights for personal gain, rather than opportunities to serve the public good.
2. Patronage and Clientelism:
Officeholders use their access to public funds to benefit their supporters, co-ethnics, and other social networks.
3. Corruption:
Prebendalism drives the diversion of public funds for private ends, which hinders development and increases poverty and inequality.
4. Ethnic and Group Competition:
The struggle for control of state resources becomes an ethnic and sectional competition, as groups seek to maximize their own share of the “national cake”.
5. Dysfunctional Governance:
The focus on private gain undermines the provision of efficient public services and distorts the goals of democratic governance.
Origin of the Term
The term “prebend” originates from the church, referring to a prebendary’s right to a share of a cathedral’s revenues. Richard Joseph adapted this concept to describe how public offices, like cathedral prebends, become a source of revenue and benefits for individuals and groups within the political system.
Impact on Nigeria
Stunted Development:
Public resources are diverted for personal benefit, leaving little for development and public services.
Instability:
Competition for access to public office and resources creates instability and conflict.
Weak Institutions:
Prebendalism erodes public trust and weakens the capacity of state institutions to function effectively.
Federalism as a Conduit:
The Nigerian federal system, with its multiple subnational governments, creates numerous access points for prebendal appropriation of state funds, particularly oil revenues.
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Please do your own research if you need further clarification.
link.springer.com
Prebendalism and Dysfunctionality in Nigeria | Brookings
Prebendalism and Dysfunctionality in Nigeria | Brookings
Brookings Institution
Prebendalism: Are Vote Buying and Voter Intimidation Here To …
Prebendalism: Are Vote Buying and Voter Intimidation Here To …
Premium Times Opinion
PREBENDALISM AND A FUTURE FORETOLD: Reimagining Nigeria
PREBENDALISM AND A FUTURE FORETOLD: Reimagining Nigeria
YouTube
Brookings
Prebendalism and Dysfunctionality in Nigeria
26 Jul 2013 — Richard Joseph examines the consequences of dysfunctional governance and prebendalism in Nigeria.
Ibom Journal of Social Issues
https://ijsi.org.ng
View of Prebendalism, Corruption and Misgovernance in a Fractured …
… prebendalism. The emergent social structures in the opinion of Ekeh (1983), are the transformations of pre-colonial indigenous institutions, migrated social …
Taylor & Francis Online: Peer-reviewed Journals
https://www.tandfonline.com
Men of the people? Democracy and prebendalism in Nigeria’s Fourth …
by L Demarest · 2021 · Cited by 25 — This form of patronage is generally regarded as antithetical to democracy. It may also be referred to as “prebendalism”, a concept introduced by …
Northwestern Now News
https://news.northwestern.edu
Is ‘Prebendalism’ a Global Phenomenon Today?
17 Jan 2014 — Richard Joseph is thought to be the first person to use the term “prebendalism” to describe a central feature of Nigerian politics.
EA Journals
Nepotism-Cronyism-and-Prebendalism.pdf
NEPOTISM, CRONYISM AND PREBENDALISM: AN EXPLORATION OF THE. MORES THAT REINFORCE CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA’S POLITICAL SYSTEM. Ifeanyichukwu M. Abada (PhD).
Oxford School of Global and Area Studies
https://www.area-studies.ox.ac.uk
The precariousness of prebendalism
A critical aspect of Richard Joseph’s argument in Democracy and Prebendal Politics is easily overlooked.
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We must quit tying the failure of our progress to political parties when PEOPLE make up these same political parties.
Decamping up and down or staying in one party cannot undo the fact the the alphabets APC or PDP or XYZ are, harmless and innocent. They are not human beings.
It is that member, that human being in the political party that is the problem. Fix their excesses through enabling and enabled laws and stop blaming abstract things for what identifiable persons did.
If we focus on the people and their conducts, we’ll focus on our problems. Hanging out with those destroying our lives just to survive and live ostentatious lives are temporary reprieves… History is replete with failures of such actions in the very near future…. If ‘care is not taken’.
Henry Omoregie, September 2025
