Corruption is an ancient practice that has been traced back to pre-biblical time and made itself known in the ancient civilizations of developed and developing countries. Self-interest affect both the old and the young, man and woman. It is the problem that strata the socio-political and economic structure of any region especially in Igbo land. The aim of this paper is to empirically investigate the relationship between corruption and self-interest in Igbo leadership using SPSS and correlation test. The study also anchored on two theories: the idealistic theory and the anomie theory. The study revealed that the level of corruption and self-interest among Igbo leaders over the years has become a source of embarrassment to Igbos living outside the country and that corruption and self-interest among Igbo leaders has seriously had significant negative affect on the development and services delivery in Igbo land especially in rural areas. The implication of this study is that economy of Igbos cannot grow fast without zero tolerance in corruption and self-interest. The study recommended that the policies that will enhance economic development and reduce the level of corruption and self-interest are expected to be encouraged so that the level of economic growth can be improved in Igbo land. The study also suggests that there should be free and fair election in Igbo land and stops the issue of selection so that the issue of corruption and self-interest will reduce drastically. And that the activities or programmes of the anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria such as the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and related Offences Commission (ICPC) should be strengthened.
Keywords: Correlation, Corruption, EFCC, ICPC, Leadership, SPSS, Self-Interest
