Transparency International’s 2020 Corruption Perception Index said Nigeria is now the second most corrupt country in West Africa with Guinea-Bissau the only country more corrupt than Nigeria in the sub-region.
TI rating in 2019 ranked Nigeria 146th out of the 180 countries surveyed, scoring 26 points out of a possible 100.
According to TI rating, on a scale of zero to 100 in TI’s rating, zero means ‘Highly Corrupt,’ while 100 is ‘Very Clean’.
Base on 2019 rating and the recent report, it could be said corruption in the country is heightened.
Zimbabwe, Chad, Eritrea, Burundi, Congo, Guinea Bissau, Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, Somalia and South Sudan are countries perceived to be more corrupt than Nigeria in Africa, Somalia and South Sudan were ranked as the most corrupt nations on earth.
Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Singapore, Sweden Switzerland, Norway, The Netherlands, Germany and Luxembourg are rated the least corrupt countries in the world
The United States received its rankings as 25 while the United Kingdom, Canada and Hong Kong were all ranked at 11.
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, on Wednesday said the President has given up on his anti-corruption war.
Recall that the President in July removed the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, amid allegations of corruption.
However, Transparency International explained that the interruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic gave room for corruption to thrive in countries with weak systems.
It added that countries like The Netherlands which are highly ranked as upright, failed to reveal details of contracts awarded to persons supplying COVID-19 equipment.
TI also stated that former American President, Donald Trump, failed to properly oversight COVID-19 spending.
“Finally, the unique challenges wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic have tested high-scoring countries’ commitment to transparency and integrity in their own public sectors as never before.
“When the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project created a database of how public money was spent on Personal Protective Equipment at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, in several countries they found a black box.
“Belgium (76/100), Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway did not publish details of contracts awarded, even withholding information on prices and the names of companies in some cases.
“In the US, the previous administration’s challenges to oversight of the unprecedented COVID-19 relief package raised serious anti-corruption concerns and marked a significant retreat from longstanding democratic norms promoting accountable government.
“Now, as we look hopefully ahead to 2021 as a year of widespread vaccinations and treatments, it is vital that there is transparency and accountability in how governments, especially in wealthy nations, acquire and distribute life-saving resources,” TI reported.
