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Nigeria Climbs Five Places In 2023 Corruption Perception Index, But Concerns Persist
Eko Hot Blog reports Nigeria has shown improvement in its global ranking in the 2023 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), rising five places to secure the 145th position out of 180 countries.
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The index, released by Transparency International Nigeria, reveals that the country scored 25 out of 100 points, indicating a slight improvement from its previous score of 24 in the 2022 CPI.
This marks the first Corruption Perception Index under the presidency of Bola Tinubu, and the results suggest a marginal enhancement in Nigeria’s perceived level of public sector corruption. The CPI score operates on a scale from 0 to 100, with 0 representing a highly corrupt perception and 100 representing the least corrupt perception.
Nigeria’s lowest CPI score was recorded in 1996 at 6.90, while its highest was 28 in 2016 during the first year of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Speaking at the official launch of the CPI in Abuja on Tuesday, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, emphasized the need for continued efforts to combat corruption at both national and regional levels. He highlighted that Nigeria’s score falls below the Sub-Saharan African average of 33 points, indicating room for improvement.
“The index reveals that Nigeria scored 25 out of 100 points in the 2023 Corruption Perception Index, compared to 24 points in the year 2022 CPI, while Nigeria ranks 145 out of 180 countries, compared to 150 on 2022 CPI results,” Rafsanjani stated.
He pointed out that the prevalent political corruption contributes to the challenges, stating, “Political corruption is on the increase, and when you loot the nation, and you are rewarded with the appointment, you will continue to do business as usual. So, at both national and regional levels, we have a lot of work to do to create a conducive atmosphere where development can thrive, and where democracy and electoral transparency can happen.”
Highlighting the weaknesses and areas needing improvement, the Country Director of Accountability Lab Nigeria, Friday Odeh, specifically mentioned electoral corruption, judicial corruption, and corruption in the security sector as key concerns.
“We have electoral corruption, which I think most of us are aware of. It is no longer news that the 2023 election dashed the hope of Nigerians, most especially those of the young population who were excited to come out to vote in 2023. 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,” Odeh stated.
He further emphasized concerns about corruption in the security sector, pointing out that the defense and security sector accounts for a significant portion of the national budget. Odeh expressed the importance of addressing corruption in the security sector to ensure the success of development objectives in the country.
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The Corruption Perception Index was compiled from eight different sources, including the Bertelsmann Foundation Transformation Index, Economist Intelligence Unit Country Ratings, and the World Bank Country Policy and Institutional Assessment, among others. As Nigeria continues to grapple with corruption challenges, the release of the 2023 CPI underscores the ongoing efforts needed to enhance transparency and accountability in the nation.
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