THE GUARDIAN
Nigeria has ranked 145 among 180 countries and scored 25 out of 100 points on the 2023 Corruption Perception Index.
The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), and Transparency International (TI), disclosed this on Tuesday at a press conference in Abuja.
Executive Director, CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Rafsanjani, said CPI sourced its data for the ranking from eight globally acclaimed organisations.
He listed the eight organisations to include 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.
The Guardian 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.
This is the first Corruption Perception Index since the Bola Tinubu administration assumed office as Nigeria president on May 29, 2023.
Developed by TI in 1995, the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an annual ranking of countries on the prevalence of corruption within each country, based upon surveys by experts and business executives.
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 to include 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.
He said: “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.
