The Federal Government has rejected the 2019 report on Corruption Price Index (CPI) released by the Transparency International, which stated that Nigeria is now the most corrupt country in West Africa.
According to the 2019 report released on Thursday, Nigeria scored 26 out of 100, and which is a slip in the 2018 report, which saw Nigeria scoring 27 out of 100 in the 2018 report.
The latest report, which surveyed public sector corruption in 180 countries, has Iran, Honduras, Guatemala, Bangladesh, Mozambique and Angola in the same level with Nigeria.
It was revealed that the corruption issues in the country have been worsened by voting-buying.
However, reacting to the report, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, faulted the report, saying there was no clear evidence to back TI’s report which placed Nigeria at 146 out of the 180 countries on the 2019 CPI.
Malami, who reacted to the TI’s report during an interview on Channels Television’s LunchTime Politics stressed that TI’s report lacks fact and reality.
Malami said, “In terms of the fight against corruption, we have been doing more, we have done more and we will continue to do more out of inherent conviction and desire on our part to fight against corruption devoid of any extraneous considerations relating to the rating by Transparency International.
“Our resolve to fight corruption is inherent and indeed devoid of any extraneous considerations, we will continue to do more and we will double efforts.”
Reacting to the development, the Executive Director, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Mr. Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, who is also the Head of Transparency International in Nigeria wondered why Nigeria continues to slip into corruption despite the Whistleblower Policy and some other policies being put in place by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.
