Nigeria’s corruption index score shows surprise improvement

Nigeria recorded a modest improvement in Transparency International’s 2023 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), released today.

Despite widespread concerns regarding rampant corruption within the country, the latest report shows a one-point increase in its score, rising from 24 to 25. This translates to a slight shift in ranking, moving from 150th position in 2022 to 145th globally.

The CPI ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public-sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople. It relies on 13 independent data sources and uses a scale of zero to 100, where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.

While the progress may seem incremental, it marks a notable deviation from Nigeria’s consistent decline in previous years. Since 2016, the country’s CPI score had steadily dropped, reflecting concerns about the government’s effectiveness in tackling corruption. This year’s uptick, albeit small, offers a glimmer of hope and raises questions about potential turning points in the fight against graft.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari rode to office in 2015 on the promise to fight corruption in the country. His administration largely failed to make impact in that respect. The current president, Bola Tinubu, who succeeded Mr Buhari, has yet to demonstrate a distinct departure from this trend.

Why the score?

Transparency International said if there was a lot of corrupt activity reported in a country, but its CPI score increased, one reason could be that reported incidents fell out of its research timeframe.

Also, it said certain types of corruption, such as money-laundering or foreign bribery, are not measured in the CPI.

What then does CPI measure?

The CPI measures bribery, diversion of public funds, officials using their public office for private gain without facing consequences, excessive red tape in the public sector which may increase opportunities for corruption.

It also measures nepotistic appointments in the civil service, state capture by narrow vested interests and access to information on public affairs/government activities.

Global decline

Transparency International said only 28 of the 180 countries measured by this index improved their corruption levels over the last 12 years, and 34 countries have significantly worsened. Despite progress made across the planet in criminalising corruption and establishing specialised institutions to address it, corruption levels remain stagnant globally.

Top and bottom performers

For the sixth year in a row, Denmark heads the ranking, with a score of 90. Finland and New Zealand follow closely with scores of 87 and 85, respectively. Norway (84), Singapore (83), Sweden (82), Switzerland (82), the Netherlands (79), Germany (78) and Luxembourg (78) complete the top 10 this year.

Meanwhile, countries experiencing conflict or with highly restricted freedoms and weak democratic institutions tend to score worst. This year, Somalia (11), Venezuela (13), Syria (13) and South Sudan (13) are at the bottom of the index. Yemen (16), Nicaragua (17), North Korea (17), Haiti (17), Equatorial Guinea (17), Turkmenistan (18) and Libya (18) are the next lowest performers.

Among the 34 countries that have significantly declined since 2012 are several high-ranking democracies, like Sweden (82) and the United Kingdom (71), as well as authoritarian states, such as Myanmar (20) and Venezuela (13). The 28 countries that improved vary considerably in their democracy, income and previous corruption levels, and include the Seychelles (71), Guyana (40) and Ukraine (36).

“Corruption will continue to thrive until justice systems can punish wrongdoing and keep governments in check. When justice is bought or politically interfered with, it is the people that suffer. Leaders should fully invest in and guarantee the independence of institutions that uphold the law and tackle corruption. It is time to end impunity for corruption,” said François Valérian Chair, Transparency International.