A recent international survey ranked Nigeria as the most corrupt nation on the planet. Most Nigerians accepted this, especially in light of recent scandals. Like mass expulsions of college students for cheating and a recent increase in the number of government workers, most of whom turned out to be "ghost workers" (people who didn't exist, but whose salaries were pocketed by their bosses.) The pervasive corruption is feeding the unrest in the nation. For example, one reason the northern states are so eager to embrace Sharia law is because the Islamic law is particularly harsh in dealing with corrupt practices.