In the latest report of the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) ranking released on Tuesday by the Transparency International (TI), Nigeria has again fallen four places on the list.
According to the report, although the country maintained its previous year’s score of 24 out of 100 points, it however, fell from 150th to 154th position out of 180 countries assessed in the 2022 ranking.
Daily Trust had previously reported that in past years, Nigeria had experienced a consecutive drop in the CPI ranking. It scored 26 in 2019, 25 in the 2020 assessment, and 24 in the last 2021 record.
The chairman of Transparency International, Delia Rubio, explained that global corruption levels had been stagnant for 11 years in a row.
Rubio said, “Corruption has made our world a more dangerous place. As governments have collectively failed to make progress against it, they fuel the current rise in violence and conflict – and endanger people everywhere.
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“The only way out is for states to do the hard work, rooting out corruption at all levels to ensure governments work for all people, not just an elite few.”
Also at a press conference on Tuesday, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre in conjunction with Transparency International, noted that the pardon granted to two jailed former governors – Joshua Dariye of Plateau State and Jolly Nyame of Taraba State in 2022 by the Buhari-led administration, indicated a major setback in the country’s anti-corruption efforts.
CISLAC also noted that prevalent insecurity, lack of press freedom, inability to prosecute and convict politicians who failed to fully declare their assets, especially those in offshore accounts, increase in oil theft, the opaqueness of the subsidy regime, lack of transparency and accountability in the security sector, lack of transparency in constituency projects, and also inadequacy of the judicial and the legislative arms of government, were all contributing factors.
The two leading anti-corruption agencies in the country, The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission are yet to react to the latest ranking as at when filing this report.