Winning the War Against Corruption in the Public Sector

The Pivotal Role of Office Administrators in Anambra State, Nigeria

Abstract

The study explored the pivotal role of office administrators in winning the war against corruption in the public sector. Three research questions were answered. Descriptive survey research design was adopted in carrying out the study. The population for the study was 226 employees in the public sector, which includes 130 employees and 96 administrators from selected public sector in Anambra State. The instrument for data collection was a 29-item structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was face validated by two experts from the Department of Administration and one from Office Management Education, all at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. The reliability of the instrument was ascertained by trial testing, 15 copies of the questionnaire were administered to fifteen business administrators from Abia State. Data collected from the trial testing were analyzed using the Cronbach Alpha reliability technique which yielded reliability coefficients of 0.77, 0.78 and 0.80 lusters respectively. The instrument was designed to elicit the ratings of respondents on a 4-point rating scale as follows: Strong Agree (SA)-4-point, Agree (A) 3-point, Disagree (D)-2 point, and Strongly Disagree (SD) 1 1-point. Data was collected using a personal contact approach with the help of 10 research assistants. Out of the 226 copies of questionnaire administered to 226 Business Administrators, 215 were completed and returned, indicating 95.1% return rate. The data collected were analyzed using mean and standard deviation for answering the three research questions, noted with significant and insignificant. Based on the findings, the study among others suggested that administrators must demonstrate a strong commitment to integrity and transparency, setting the tone for their organization, thereby leading by example as regards combating corruption.