An Original Framework for Evaluating Technology-Mediated Corruption Opportunities and Prevention in Nigerian Public Administration

Technology adoption in Nigerian public administration has the dual potential to reduce corruption through transparency and accountability mechanisms, or to create new technologically mediated corruption opportunities through digital gatekeeping, algorithmic manipulation, and e-procurement fraud. This study develops an original theoretical and analytical framework for evaluating technology-mediated corruption opportunities and prevention in Nigerian public administration. A sequential mixed-methods design was applied. Phase 1 conducted an inductive qualitative study through 45 interviews with public administration officials, corruption investigators, and civil society monitoring organisations across four geopolitical zones, identifying technology-mediated corruption mechanism typologies. Phase 2 developed the original Technology-Mediated Corruption Opportunity Framework (TMCOF) operationalising identified mechanisms and tested it through structured observations and document analysis across six e-government platform implementations in Nigerian federal agencies. Phase 3 validated the framework through expert panel critique and cross-country comparative application to Rwandan and Kenyan e-government implementations. Available corruption and ICT literature from Nigerian public administration identifies e-procurement manipulation through specification capture, digital identity document fraud, and selective system downtime as the three most novel technology-mediated corruption mechanisms introduced by e-government adoption. The Corruption Opportunity Theory by Rose-Ackerman, the Technology Affordances Theory, and the Accountability Ecosystem Framework provide the theoretical foundations. The original TMCOF provides a structured analytical tool for pre-implementation corruption risk assessment and post-implementation monitoring. Keywords: technology-mediated corruption, e-government, Nigerian public administration, anti-corruption, digital governance.