Civil society organization- BudgIT Nigeria, on Tuesday, urged the Federal Government to review its anti-corruption legal framework, to enhance the nation’s ranking in the global Corruption Perception Index of Transparency International.
The group urged the government to start by combating the issue of inadequate anti-corruption legal frameworks, with the passage of anticorruption bills like the Proceeds of Crime and the Audit Bills.
According to TI’s global ranking released last week, Nigeria scored 25 out of 100, ranking 149th of 179 countries, its worst since 2013, in spite of the much mouthed anti-corruption battle being fought frontally by the government.
In a series of tweets, BudgIT identified key weaknesses responsible for the low ranking to include “the prevalence of bribery and corruption in the Nigerian Police Force and high level of corruption in the security sector; Nepotism in public service appointments and promotions alongside the absence of transparency in the #COVID19 pandemic response.”
Recall that it was the commitment to “kill corruption…” that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government of President Muhammadu Buhari first rode on to power in 2015, defeating the then incumbent, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
Dismissing the poor ranking in the 2020 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (TI-CPI), Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, insisted on Sunday that it does not truly reflect the great strides by the country in its fight against the menace.
In a statement, he assured that the administration’s anti-corruption agenda, which has placed great emphasis on corruption prevention measures and the building of integrity systems, remains on course.
For him also, the implementation of the various reforms, especially in the Ease of Doing Business, is expected to yield positive outcomes in the country’s corruption perception and other relevant assessments in the next 12 to 24 months.
Other reactions to the ranking include the Presidency saying the poor ranking is rather an indictment on Nigerians, rather than the Muhammadu Buhari administration, in addition to the one by state governors elected under the party, who insist that the ranking is the handiwork of opposition elements targeted at influencing outcomes of the 2023 general elections.
BudgIT in its tweets however noted the lack of adequate anti-corruption legal frameworks, as well as interference by politicians in the operation of law enforcement agencies, a situation that has remained largely unresolved.
Rather than continuing in self-denial, the group noted the need for government to embrace the principle of open contracting, and for the country “to work towards improving transparency and accountability through beneficial ownership reforms, integrated into its procurement process.”
