January 30, (THEWILL) – Nigeria has ranked 145 among 180 countries and scored 25 out of 100 points on the 2023 Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), and Transparency International (TI) disclosed this on Tuesday, at a press conference in Abuja.
Developed by TI in 1995, CPI is an annual ranking of countries on the prevalence of corruption within each country, based upon surveys by experts and business executives.
THEWILL reports that the ranking is an improvement on the 2022 position where the country scored 150 among 180 countries with 24 out of 100 points on the corruption index. It is the first Corruption Perception Index since the Bola Tinubu administration assumed office as Nigeria’s President on May 29, 2023.
Executive Director, CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Rafsanjani, said CPI sourced its data for the ranking from eight globally acclaimed organisations, including Bertelsmann Foundation Transformation Index, Economist Intelligence Unit Country Ratings, Global Insights Country Risk Ratings, PRS International Country Risk Guide, Varieties of Democracy Project, World Bank Country Policy and Institutional Assessment (CPIA), World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey (EOS) as well as World Justice Project Rule of Law Index.
Rafsanjani decried alleged electoral and judicial corruption, adding that despite the amendment of the Electoral Act, the 2023 election fell short of the expectations of Nigerians.
He listed key areas why Nigeria showed improvements including the launch of the beneficial ownership register; vibrant media, civil society and citizenry in demanding transparency and accountability and arrests and recoveries by anti-graft agencies.
According to him, Nigeria’s score is below the Sub-Saharan African average of 33 points, stressing that most African countries showed stagnation.
“The independence of the Nigerian justice system needs to be strengthened to shield it from interference. Merit-based promotion and appointments should be carried out rather than political appointments. This will help win back the trust of the citizens in the judiciary.
“There should be a proper integrity monitoring mechanism in the Nigerian judiciary. This should cover whistleblowing and other reporting channels. It should also cover the disclosure of assets and conflicts of interest.
“Our electoral system needs to be reformed to regain the lost trust of the citizens.
“The Beneficial Ownership Register should be regularly updated with information and citizens should also be granted access.
“The relevant anti-corruption agencies should ensure that high-profile corruption cases are pursued to their logical conclusion for the benefit of Nigeria and its citizens. They should also explore international alternatives in cases of grand corruption that are transnational.
“Government agencies should disclose as much data as possible about government contracts in line with the proactive provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2011, the open government partnership and other international commitments Nigeria has signed onto.
“Agencies given the mandate to recover assets under the Proceeds of Crime (and Management) Act 2022 should ensure that they establish a database where information about assets in their custody is easily accessed by citizens in line with the Act and the proactive provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2011.
“The National Assembly should ensure transparency in the implementation of the constituency projects. The relevant agencies should ensure that those found guilty are brought to book.
“Impartial and unhindered investigation of security sector corruption must be prioritised to improve the deteriorating security across Nigeria. Security Votes and other secretive defence expenditures must be investigated by the civilian law enforcement agencies,” he said.
Key weaknesses highlighted in the country’s fight against corruption include electoral and judicial corruption, corruption in the security sector, opaqueness of public institutions, wasteful expenditures, reward of corrupt and questionable individuals with appointment and failure to prosecute high-profile cases.
On electoral and judicial corruption, Rafsanjani said: “Nigeria’s 2023 general elections dashed the hopes of Nigerians who were hoping for a better electoral process despite the passing of the 2022 Electoral Act. According to the European Union (EU) Observation Mission!, ‘The 2023 general elections did not ensure a well-run transparent and inclusive democratic process as assured by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Public confidence and trust in INEC were severely damaged during the presidential poll and was not restored in state-level elections….’
“This abysmal performance by Nigeria’s electoral umpire saw numerous litigation cases being sent to the courts in Nigeria. The poor performance of the election fails to justify the huge resources allocated to INEC for the conduct of the elections.
“With the disappointing conduct of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria, the Nigerian judiciary was expected to display independence and dispatch justice transparently as well as in equity and fairness. However, different conflicting rulings by the different courts have questioned the independence and integrity of the judiciary as an institution. This has thrown up the discussion on the need for effective judicial oversight.”
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