Nigeria has dropped four places in the last Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking, published by Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday.
Although the country maintained its previous year’s score of 24 out of 100 points, it fell from 150th to 154th place among 180 countries assessed in the 2022 ranking.
The CPI is the IT tool to measure the levels of corruption in the systems of various countries around the world. The maximum points that a country can obtain is 100 points and the minimum is zero. Zero means the worst performing country and 100 is the best ranked.
The latest ranking may be an indicator that the country’s anti-corruption fight has stalled and produced few results.
The pardon granted by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to two jailed former governors (Joshua Dariye of Plateau State and Jolly Nyame of Taraba State) in 2022 is seen by many as a major setback in the country’s anti-corruption efforts.
By the time the two former governors were pardoned in April 2022, their convictions and sentences had been upheld by the Supreme Court and they still had half their prison time to serve.
The prosecution of the former governors that began under the previous administration lasted for more than 10 years and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had to spend scarce public funds to see the case through to the end.
READ ALSO: Nigeria records two deaths, 1,356 COVID-19 infections
In previous years, Nigeria had experienced a consecutive drop in the CPI ranking. He scored 26 in 2019, 25 in the 2020 assessment, and 24 in the latest record in 2021.
Nigerian authorities, on the other hand, have always criticized any unfavorable TI report that points 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.
According to the president of Transparency International, Delia Rubio, global corruption levels have stagnated for 11 years in a row.
“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.”
more details later
Support PREMIUM TIMES journalism of integrity and credibility
Good journalism costs a lot of money. However, only good journalism can guarantee the possibility of a good society, a responsible democracy and a transparent government.
For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country, we ask that you consider making a modest support for this noble effort.
By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to keep journalism relevant and ensuring that it remains free and available to everyone.
Donate
TEXT AD: Call Willie – +2348098788999
