Veritatis Gaudium: Multidisciplinary Journal of Postgraduate Studies

Nigeria continues to face pervasive corruption and financial crimes that undermine economic development, weaken public institutions, and erode public trust. Despite legal reforms and anti-corruption initiatives, bribery, embezzlement, fraud, and abuse of office remain widespread, suggesting that institutional responses alone are insufficient. While existing scholarship has largely emphasized legal, political, and economic perspectives, limited attention has been given to the complementary insights of Old Testament prophetic ethics and philosophical moral reasoning. This study examined how the ethical teachings of the Old Testament prophets, interpreted alongside philosophical theories of justice and virtue, can contribute to a normative framework for combating corruption and promoting ethical governance in Nigeria. The study adopted a qualitative interdisciplinary methodology, employing historical-textual analysis of Amos 5:7–24. Relevant passages from Micah 3:1–12, Micah 6:6–8, and Isaiah 1:21–26 are employed inferentially to corroborate and enrich the ethical themes emerging from the primary text. The biblical analysis is complemented by philosophical examination of virtue ethics and deontological ethics, alongside relevant literature on corruption, financial crimes, and governance in Nigeria. Findings revealed that contemporary manifestations of corruption: bribery, exploitation, dishonest gain, and abuse of power mirror the injustices condemned by the Old Testament prophets. Philosophical ethics reinforces these prophetic ideals by highlighting integrity and civic responsibility as essential virtues for public leadership. Thus, integrating Old Testament prophetic ethics with philosophical moral reasoning provides a robust ethical foundation for complementing legal and institutional anti-corruption measures and fostering a culture of integrity, accountability and the common good in Nigeria.

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