Nigeria drops in latest corruption perceptions index

Nigeria has dropped from 146th in 2019 to 149th in the latest global ranking of public sector corruption, according to Transparency International.

The anti-corruption watchdog’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2020 report released on Thursday, January 28, 2021, showed that the Nigerian government’s fight against corruption suffered a setback last year.

Nigeria scored a total of 25 points on perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople, one less than the 26 points scored in 2019.

The CPI uses a scale from 0 to 100, with the global average score of the 180 countries ranked in 2020 pegged at 43.

The report noted that civil society organisations in Nigeria denounced reports of hoarding of COVID-19 palliatives by state governments and called on anti-corruption institutions to investigate the allegations.

Mobs of people broke into a handful of warehouses across the country in October to loot palliative materials that had been stored by officials months after the country went into lockdown and affected the economic fortunes of many Nigerians.

A state lawmaker in Lagos confessed that he had been keeping the looted palliative materials to distribute on his birthday, while other officials said they were storing the materials for an anticipated second wave.

Fighting corruption has been one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s major focus, but statistics show he has made little progress in over five years.

The president last year suspended Ibrahim Magu as the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over numerous allegations of corruption.

The 78-year-old is yet to act on an investigative committee’s report on the allegations, but the high profile suspension was perceived as a major dent on his administration’s fight against corruption.

For years, Buhari stuck by Magu even though the Senate did not ratify his appointment due to allegations of corruption in his service history, allegations ignored by the president for five years.

Global ranking

The CPI report noted that corruption is more pervasive in countries least equipped to handle the COVID-19 pandemic and other global crises.

The report also showed that despite some progress globally, most countries still failed to tackle corruption effectively last year.

“This year’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) paints a grim picture of the state of corruption worldwide.

“While most countries have made little to no progress in tackling corruption in nearly a decade, more than two-thirds of countries score below 50,” the report noted.

Denmark and New Zealand jointly ranked the least corrupt countries in the world with 88 points, followed by Finland, Singapore, Sweden, and Switzerland with 85 points each.

South Sudan and Somalia ranked as the most corrupt in the world with 12 points, followed by Syria with 14 points, and Yemen and Venezuela with 15 points each.

To fight COVID-19 and curb corruption, the CPI report recommended that governments strengthen oversight institutions; ensure open and transparent contracting; defend democracy and promote civic space; and publish relevant data and guarantee access.