Nigeria’s Ranking Drops Again on Latest Corruption Perception Index

Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja

Nigeria’s ranking fell four places on the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report released yesterday by the Transparency International (TI).

The report showed that Nigeria maintained its previous year’s score of 24 out of 100 points, but fell from 150 to 154th position out of 180 countries assessed in the 2022 ranking.

In previous years, Nigeria scored 26 points in 2019, 25 in the 2020 assessment and 24 in 2021.

The chairman of Transparency International, Delia Rubio, explained that global corruption levels had been stagnant for 11 years in a row.

“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.

“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,” he said.

At a media briefing yesterday, the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre in conjunction with Transparency International, noted that the pardon granted two jailed former governors of Plateau and Taraba States, Joshua Dariye of Pl and Jolly Nyame in 2022, by the Buhari-led administration, indicated a major setback in the nation’s anti-graft war.

CISLAC stated that the prevailing insecurity, lack of press freedom, inability to prosecute and convict politicians, who failed to fully declare their assets, especially those in offshore accounts as well as increase in oil theft, opaqueness of the subsidy regime stalled the efforts of government in that regard.

It asserted that lack of transparency and accountability in the security sector, lack of transparency in constituency projects and 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 (EFCC) were yet to react to the latest ranking.