De-escalation Strategies for Kleptocracy in Nigeria’s Oil Industry

The rise of kleptocracy in the oil industry necessitates Nigerian leaders to implement deescalation strategies to enable sustained economic development. Several Nigerian political stalwarts faced corruption charges of $22 trillion related to oil revenues between 1997-2014. The purpose of this qualitative case study is to explore strategies for the de-escalation of kleptocracy in the oil sector of Nigeria. The crime framework of Gottfredson and Hirschi grounded the study. The data collection methods were semi-structured interviews of purposeful samples and document review, which were analyzed utilizing Yin’s 5-step approach. The themes that emerged were anticorruption reorientation, ethical leadership, high self-control practice, stiffer penalties for corrupt officials, sonic therapeutic intervention, education and training, and traditional African oath of office. The results of the study are expected to contribute to positive social change in the oil industry by enlightening government leaders and anti-corruption agencies on strategies to deescalate kleptocracy in Nigeria’s oil sector.