From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Nigeria has experienced a marginal improvement in Transparency International’s (TI) 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), now ranking 140th out of 180 countries, up from 145th in 2023. The country’s score also saw a slight increase from 25 to 26.
At a press briefing in Abuja, Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and head of Transparency International Nigeria, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, presented the findings, in company of other civil society partners, Folashade Arigbabu, Socio-Economic Rights And Accountability Project (SERAP), Friday Odeh, Accountability Lab, Umar Yakubu, Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity and Adeyemi Adesomoju, Premium Times.
He emphasised that while the upward movement was positive, Nigeria’s score remains below the sub-Saharan African average of 33. He also stressed that the CPI reflects the perception of corruption and not necessarily specific incidents.
“While there is a slight improvement, Nigeria’s corruption score of 26 still falls well below the global average, indicating persistent challenges in governance and accountability,” he stated.
Rafsanjani also commended the ICPC’s probe into alleged misappropriation of N90 billion in Hajj subsidies, describing the widespread looting during the recent Hajj exercise as alarming.
Despite acknowledging some progress, Rafsanjani outlined key areas needing improvement to include electoral corruption, judicial corruption (with reports indicating 20 percent of Nigerians interacting with the judiciary faced bribery demands), corruption in the security sector, failure to prosecute high-profile cases, opaqueness of public institutions and wasteful expenditures.
He called for a concerted effort to restore trust, integrity and dignity to the nation’s public institutions.
Rafsanjani also stressed that civil society organisations are partners in progress, providing technical expertise and research to support the government’s efforts to block leakages and combat corruption.
To address these issues, CISLAC/IT Nigeria recommended the Nigerian government to ensure the independence, adequate funding and freedom from political interference for agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), alongside swift and fair trials for corruption cases and laws enhancing transparency and accountability.
It also urged the government to establish an integrity monitoring mechanism within the judiciary that includes whistleblowing channels, asset disclosure and conflict of interest protocols, while prioritising impartial investigations of security sector corruption.
“Effectively implement the Public Procurement Act 2007 by mandating digitisation and public access to government contracts, budgets and procurement processes, as well as implementing robust tracking systems for oil production and sales and eliminating selective tax waivers.
“Ensure agencies tasked with recovering assets under the Proceeds of Crime (and Management) Act 2022 establish a database for easily accessible information about assets in their custody.
“Pursue high-profile corruption cases to their logical conclusion, exploring international alternatives in transnational cases of grand corruption.
“Provide an enabling environment for the promotion and protection of citizens’ rights to protest and express their opinions on governance processes, further promoting accountability in government,” he said.
He called on the National Assembly to pass the Whistleblower Protection Bill into law, safeguarding the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and protecting individuals, who expose corruption.