Corruption: Nigeria Drops In Latest Transparency International Ranking

Nigeria’s fight against corruption has taken a significant hit as the latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) from Transparency International (TI) reveals a fall in the country’s ranking.

Nigeria has again fallen by four places on the latest CPI, ranking released on Tuesday.

Although the country maintained its previous year’s score of 24 out of 100 points, it fell from 150th to 154th position out of 180 countries assessed in the 2022 ranking.

The CPI, created by TI, is a globally recognized tool used to measure the levels of corruption in different countries.

The maximum points a country can score is 100 points, and the least is zero. Zero signifies the worst-performing country and 100, is the best-ranked.

The drop in ranking might suggest that Nigeria’s efforts to combat corruption have hit a roadblock, with little to no progress being made.

The granting of pardons to two former governors, Joshua Dariye of Plateau State and Jolly Nyame of Taraba State, by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration in April 2022, was seen as a major blow to the anti-corruption drive.

As of the time the two former governors were pardoned in April 2022, their convictions and sentencing had been affirmed by the Supreme Court and they had yet to serve half the length of their jail time.

The prosecution of the former governors, which started under the previous administration, lasted over a decade and consumed considerable resources from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Unfortunately, Nigeria’s score in the CPI has continued to decline in recent years, from 26 in 2019 to 25 in 2020, and now to 24 in 2021.

The Nigerian government has continually criticized TI’s negative assessments of corruption in the country, arguing that the global anti-corruption body lacks the proper foundation to rank Nigeria.

Nevertheless, Transparency International Chair, Delia Rubio, states that the world has seen a stagnant level of corruption for 11 years in a row.

“Corruption is making our world a more dangerous place. As governments have been unable to make progress in fighting it, they are fueling the current rise in violence and conflict, putting people everywhere in danger.

“The only solution is for states to take strong action against corruption at all levels, to ensure that governments work for all people, not just a select few,” Rubio says.