Nigeria ranks 150th and scores 24th in the corruption index

Nigeria once again scored 24 out of 100 points and ranks 150 out of 180 countries in the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index released by Transparency International on Tuesday. the punch reports.

Although the country maintained its score from the previous year (2021) of 24 out of 100 points, there was a change in the range from 154 to 150, in the newly published index.

PUNCH reports that the CPI is Transparency International’s tool to measure the level of corruption in the systems of the 180 countries around the world, based on certain prevailing indices.

Such indices are bribery, the diversion of public funds, the use of public office by public officials for private gain without consequence, the ability of governments to contain corruption and enforce effective integrity mechanisms in the public sector, excessive bureaucracy and red tape that can increase opportunities for corruption, meritocratic versus nepotistic appointments in the civil service.

For Nigeria, the CPI sourced its ranking data from eight world-renowned organizations, some of which Nigeria is a partner.

The eight organizations are the World Bank Country Policy and Institutional Assessment, the World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey, the Works Justice Project Rule of Law Index, the Varieties of Democracy Project, the Risk Guide to Global Insight Country, PRS International Country Risk Guide, Economist Intelligence Unit Country Ratings. , and the Transformation Index of the Bertelsmann Foundation.

Two former governors were pardoned in April 2022, their convictions and sentences upheld by the Supreme Court, and they still had to serve half their prison terms.

The prosecution of the former governors that began under the previous administration lasted more than 10 years, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had to expend scarce public funds to see the case through to completion.

In previous years, Nigeria had experienced a consecutive drop in the CPI ranking. In 2012, the country scored 27, and in 2013 it scored 25, then went back to 27 in 2014, dropped to 26 in 2015, rose to 28 in 2016, 27 in 2017 and 2018, 26 in 2019, dropped to 25 in 2020, and 24 in 2021 and 2022.

However, the Nigerian authorities have continued to criticize reports by Transparency International that point to worsening corruption in the country.

He claimed last year, in reaction to the 2021 assessment, that the world anti-corruption body lacked the basis on which it could rank Nigeria.

Meanwhile, according to the president of Transparency International, Delia Rubio, global levels of corruption had stagnated for 11 years in a row.

Rubio said: “Corruption has made our world a more dangerous place. With governments collectively failing to make progress against them, they fuel the current surge in violence and conflict, and endanger people everywhere. The only way out is for states to do the hard work, rooting out corruption at all levels to ensure that governments work for all people, not just a minority.”

Also at a press conference on Tuesday, the Civil Society Center for Legislative Defense in conjunction with Transparency International noted that the pardon granted to two former governors jailed: Joshua Dariye of Plateau State and Jolly Nyame of Taraba State in 2022 for the Buhari-led administration, signaled a major setback in the country’s anti-corruption efforts.

CISLAC also pointed out that the prevailing insecurity, the lack of press freedom, the inability to prosecute and convict politicians who did not fully declare their assets, especially those in offshore accounts, the increase in oil theft, the opacity of the regime of subsidies, the lack of transparency and accountability in the security sector, the lack of transparency in voter projects, and also the inadequacy of the judicial and legislative arms of government, were all contributing factors.

Meanwhile, for Sub-Saharan Africa, the regional average score of 32 out of 100 marks another year of stagnation in the Corruption Perceptions Index for 44 of the 49 countries assessed in the region, all of which scored below 50.

The gains made by a few countries are outweighed by significant declines in others.