An Assessment of the Impact of Remuneration on employee Criminality in Nigeria’s Public Institutions

Publication Details

Publication Date

10/10/2026

Volume / Issue

Vol 1, Issue 5 (2026)

Article No.

090

Journal

British Journal of Contemporary Research

DOI

https://doi.org/10.67693/BJCR-RCB2XZWA

Received

30 Sep 2026

Views

22

Downloads

13

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between remuneration and employee criminality in Nigerian public institutions. A mixed-methods research design, using a dominant sequential approach, was adopted for the study. Data were obtained through questionnaires administered to 200 randomly selected employees and 10 semi-structured interviews with key informants. The quantitative data were analysed using frequencies and percentages, while the qualitative data were subjected to thematic analysis. The findings show that remuneration has an important influence on employee criminality. In particular, inadequate salaries, delays in salary payments, poor welfare provisions, and unequal compensation were found to create conditions that may encourage criminal behaviour among employees in public organisations. The study also established that improved salaries and reward systems, adequate welfare provisions, and stronger internal control mechanisms could help minimise employee involvement in criminal activities. Fair and timely compensation was therefore identified as an important institutional measure for addressing employee criminality. The study recommends that government efforts should not be limited to improving remuneration but should also include strengthening governance structures, accountability mechanisms, and internal controls across the public sector. The study concludes that the combination of equitable and timely remuneration with effective institutional governance can encourage ethical employee behaviour, reduce criminality, and improve productivity in Nigerian public institutions.

License

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License . Free to read, share, and adapt with attribution.