Nigeria ranks 150 out of 180 on the Corruption Index – Transparency International

The Transparency International (TI) has released the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2022, ranking Nigeria 150th out of 180 countries, compared to 154 on the 2021 CPI results.

The index published exclusively in Nigeria by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC), the national arm of TI, found that while the index does not show specific cases of corruption in the country, it does reflect the perception of corruption in Nigeria indicates.

The index is impartial, objective and globally recognized as the most widely used international parameter for measuring corruption.

TI stressed that index perception is not an assessment of Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies making commendable efforts in fighting corruption in Nigeria despite the political interference they face.

The CPI, which is usually released at the beginning of the year, while the previous two CPI were released on January 25, 2022 and January 28, 2021 respectively, came less than a month before Nigeria’s general elections, which are not only crucial for Nigeria , but also for Africa .

“While Nigerians had high hopes that this regime could tackle corruption, the CPI index for the country has remained consistently low for the past 10 years.

“The data used for the CPI is not collected by CISLAC/TI-Nigeria, but by independent and reputable organizations with sound research methods. CISLAC/TI-Nigeria notes that while Nigeria has moved up 4 places in the country ranking, Nigeria maintained its previous score of 24, which is the lowest score on the CPI since 2012.”

This, it said, suggests a slowdown in the steady decline seen in the previous three CPIs.

Accordingly, CISLAC/TI-Nigeria has listed the key areas to explain why Nigeria may not have moved up or down on the 2022 CPI score. Some of them are positive, others are negative.

Some of the positives include the passage of important legislation. The passage of the 2022 Electoral Act has helped strengthen Nigeria’s electoral system. This has further increased citizens’ confidence in the electoral process. The law supplements the 1999 Constitution, particularly in areas related to the financing of political parties.

It called on INEC to ensure it plays its role in ensuring integrity in the conduct of political parties as provided for in the 1999 constitution and law.

It said the passage of the Proceeds of Crime (and Management) Act 2022 is also an important step in strengthening Nigeria’s asset recovery process as relevant state institutions take steps in accordance with the law, and encouraged INEC to fully implement the law.

“In addition, the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022 has helped to strengthen Nigeria’s legal frameworks when it comes to preventing and combating money laundering and related crimes.

The organization also mentioned the strengthened determination of anti-graft agencies despite political interference, while acknowledging the efforts of the relevant anti-graft agencies in tackling corruption despite political interference and the lack of adequate resources they need to to perform optimally.

These efforts, it said, thwarted more convictions and investigations.

“After listing the positive areas, CISLAC/TI-Nigeria would like to highlight key weaknesses that need improvement, noting that the pardon of certain individuals by the current government in 2022 is a major setback in efforts to address tackle corruption in Niger.

The singular act, it said, is harmful because it fails the test of fairness and honesty, as those pardoned were Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and the poor citizens imprisoned for similar crimes (or even lesser offenses) were left out of favour.

“Not only has this dampened citizens’ confidence, but it also weakened the morale of anti-turnover agencies that spent years and money and had their officials physically assaulted during the prosecution. In addition, it sends a negative message to the international community, especially about intelligence sharing and cooperation in asset recovery and other related matters.

“It greatly contributes to a negative perception about anti-corruption in the country.

Another weakness, it said, is the prevalence of high-profile corruption, which currently remains a major challenge facing Nigeria.

The recovery of N30 billion from the former accountant general of the Federation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) underscores how deeply entrenched corruption is.

In addition, there is the failure to investigate previous leaks such as the FinCen files, the Panama Papers, the Paradise Papers and the Pandora Papers and provide citizens with answers.

“The continued occurrence of oil theft, despite the presence of numerous security forces in Nigeria, and increased spending on security pose major challenges in Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts. As revenues of oil-producing countries rise, Nigeria’s oil revenue in 2022 has been plagued by numerous oil theft news as Nigeria was unable to meet the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries’ quota.
The organization also identified the opacity of the subsidy regime as another weakness, saying that the National Assembly of Nigeria approved N4 trillion in subsidy payments for the year 2022 in 2022.

The figure represented about twenty-five percent of Nigeria’s budget and despite this, Nigerians have been lining up to get Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) for most of 2022, with a price gap with citizens buying the product in several parts above the range of the country according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

“It is also important to add that toxic fuel was imported in 2022 and no one has been held accountable for this economic and financial crime.

Lack of transparency and accountability in the security sector has weakened the country,” it said, adding that the year 2022 was a year of brutal attacks by various non-state actors who mean well to the country.

Despite the numerous atrocities committed by violent non-state actors, citizens have yet to see individuals held accountable for these acts.

CISLAC/TI-Nigeria and other partners have argued in the past that there is a link between corruption in the security sector and insecurity in Nigeria, even though it cited lack of transparency in constituency projects as another weakness.

“The zonal intervention projects, also known as constituency projects, continued to be conducted in an opaque manner, plagued by corruption. In November 2022, the Independent Corrupt Practice and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) launched its fifth phase of constituency tracking and executive projects.

Judicial Challenges is another challenge, noting that the Nigerian judiciary has also contributed to the challenges facing corruption in Nigeria.

The organization has recommended that the presidency, INEC, political parties, security actors and other relevant bodies ensure that the 2023 general election is free, fair and credible

The presidency, it said, must ensure that citizens, the media, civil society and other actors are adequately consulted before a presidential pardon is granted and that the relevant anti-turnover agencies ensure that high-profile corruption cases are pursued to their fullest extent. logical conclusion in favor of Nigeria and its citizens.

“Authorities mandated to recover assets under the Proceeds of Crime (and Management) Act 2022 must ensure that they establish a database where information on assets in their custody is readily accessible to citizens in accordance with the law and the proactive provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2011.

“The federal government must address the country’s ongoing problem of oil theft, there must be transparency in the petroleum subsidy process, and relevant agencies must investigate and prosecute those found wanting.”

Part of the organization’s recommendations was that the relevant agencies should investigate those behind toxic fuel imports into Nigeria by 2022.

“There must be transparency and accountability in the security sector of Nigeria, the National Assembly must ensure transparency in the implementation of the constituency projects. The relevant authorities should ensure that those found guilty are summoned”.

With elections fast approaching, it said the judiciary needs to deliver justice more than ever, noting that the organization is open to working with the relevant agencies to make Nigeria better for the sake of the nation.