Again, Nigeria Slips To 149 In Global Corruption Index
Nigeria again slipped in the global rating, scoring 22 of 100 points on the 2020 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released Thursday by Transparency International (TI).
Nigeria, according to the latest index announced in Abuja by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), an arm of TI in Nigeria, dipped by one point from its 2019 rating, ranking 149 out of 183 countries, and indicating slipping three places down, from 2019 results.
The CPI aggregates data from eight different sources that provide perception by Nigeria’s business community and country experts on the level of corruption in the public sector.
According to the report, some of the factors that contributed to Nigeria’s drop in the global rating, included the absence of transparency in the COVID-19 pandemic response, nepotism in the public service appointments and promotions, lack of adequate anti-corruption legal frameworks and interference by politicians in the operation of law enforcement agencies, the prevalence of bribery and extortion in the Nigerian Police, as well as security sector corruption.
It noted that research by the Council on Foreign Affairs, CFR, revealed that the country witnessed a total of 2, 860 kidnappings in 2020, which was up from 1, 386 in 2019.
“In the past year, we witnessed nepotism and favouritism in the appointment and promotion of some public officers. For example, all Nigerians remember the controversy which trailed the decision of the National Judicial Council, NJC, when at least eight of the 33 judges recommended for appointment by the NJC were either children or relatives of current or retired Justices of the Supreme or Appeal Courts.
“The Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in itself is not an exception with allegations of individuals promoted on the basis of their relationship and other affiliations as against merit and other criteria stated in rule books.
“Reports around the commercialization of employment into various institutions including admission into various tertiary educational institutions put the nation in a bad light.
“The extortion for the acquisition of services like healthcare, passports renewal and obtaining of visas creates a negative perception of corruption in Nigeria.
“Nigeria’s security system is also perceived to be politicized. Leaders are often appointed based on their political allegiances rather than on their experience or capabilities in law enforcement. As a result, the quality of leadership at the helm of affairs suffers. Appointees under such circumstances feel loyal to their political patron rather than to their institutions or citizens. How and to whom the law is applied is not consistent. Norms of professionalism and ethics are weakened.
“The continuous opaqueness in the utilization of security votes contributes to corruption perception in the country and this process must be reformed especially when we have security agencies living and working in very poor conditions.
“Nigeria’s CPI score is just another reminder of the need for a fast, transparent, and robust response to the challenges posed by corruption in Nigeria.
“It is worrying that despite the numerous efforts by state actors on the war against corruption, Nigeria is still perceived by citizens and members of the international community as being corrupt.
“Going forward, we use this medium to call on the government and her supporters to examine the driver’s behind Nigeria’s deteriorating anti-corruption image and consider actions, which will tackle systematic corruption”.
It among other things recommended transparency in the utilization of Covid-19 relief funds by state and non-state actors, as well as appointment and promotion of public servant on the basis of merit.
“There is also a need to operationalize the anti-corruption strategy to ensure that anti-corruption efforts are not concentrated at the federal level alone”, the report added.
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