Daily Times
Nigeria’s CPI rating in terms of anti-corruption efforts has been a source of contention in recent years.
Following the publication of the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report for countries around the world for 2019, which ranked Nigeria 146th out of 180 countries, the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, reportedly announced that the report was based on no facts.
The 2020 CPI ranking, which saw Nigeria drop to 149th in the world with the same 25% score, drew a similar reaction.
According to the Daily Post, following the release of the report, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated that it does not represent the country’s significant progress in the fight against corruption.
Has the country ever earned a higher CPI global ranking since its return to democracy in 1999?
Is the country deserving of a higher index given the level of corruption? Despite the new administration’s claims that it is fighting corruption, the Nigeria CPI remains unchanged from previous administrations.
2020 CPI Study Transparency International is a non-profit organization that promotes transparency.
What government, however, has had the highest Corruption Perception Index since 1999?
1. Chief Olusengun Obasanjo (1999 – 2007)
Nigeria’s president, Chief Olusengun Obasanjo, was elected after the country’s return to civilian rule in 1999 general elections.
The EFCC, ICPC, and other institutions were deployed to combat corruption, which had become prevalent in the country.
However, since 1999, Nigeria has had the lowest ranking in the Transparency International CPI under Obasanjo’s administration.
Nigeria’s index fell from 1.6/10 or 16 percent in 1999 to 1.2/10 or 12 percent in 2000, making it the lowest of the 90 countries surveyed at the time.
Before leaving office, Obasanjo, on the other hand, boosted the country’s CPI to 2.2/10 or 22% in 2006.
Nigeria’s CPI during Obasanjo’s presidency is shown below;
Data adapted from the CPI report by Transparency International (1999 – 2007)
2. Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua (2007 – 2010)
Yar’ Adua promised to carry out reforms and improve the rule of law after winning the contentious 2007 presidential election.
Yar’ Adua inherited a Nigeria with a CPI of 2.2, or 22%, and increased the country’s ranking to 2.7/10, or 27%, and a place of 121 out of 180 countries in 2008.
Since 1999, this ranking has remained the highest of all administrations. While Nigeria fell in the CPI rankings during his final two years in office, this may have been due to his declining health and death in 2010.
Below is a list of Nigeria’s corruption rankings under Yar’ Adua.
Data adapted from the CPI report by Transparency International (2007 – 2010)
3. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan (2010 – 2015)
Jonathan inherited a Nigeria with a CPI of 2.4, or 24 percent, after Yar’ Adua’s death in 2010. Nigeria made no progress during his tenure, with the country’s ranking rising to 25% from 2012 to 2015, just before he left office.
See the country’s CPI under Jonathan for more information.
Data adapted from the CPI report by Transparency International (2010 – 2015)
4. Muhammadu Buhari (2015 – date)
In an upset win in 2015, Buhari defeated Jonathan and continued his campaign to rid the country of corruption.
Nigeria, on the other hand, has not improved since 2016, according to Transparency International’s CPI study.
Nigeria is currently ranked 149th out of 180 nations, with a CPI of 25%. In other words, the country’s anti-corruption efforts have stalled.
Data adapted from the CPI report by Transparency International (2015 – 2020)
Though Yar’ Adua made the most progress in the country’s CPI ranking since 1999, Obasanjo and Jonathan also made progress.
If the CPI reports are to be believed, Buhari’s administration has yet to make a positive impact on the country’s anti-corruption campaign. What will the president do to make things better?
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