Since its inception the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has stated its goal to fight corruption in the country.
But five years into the administration, it seems like, to people at least, very little progress has been made, as Transparency International, on its 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index, just ranked Nigeria 146 out of the 180 countries.
The measurement is based on a scale of 0 to 100 with a 0 score perceived as “highly corrupt” and 100 score – “very clean,” and Nigeria scored 26, which is even lower than last year’s score of 27/100.
The analysis ranked 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and business people.
On the top of the list as the least corrupt countries are Denmark, New Zealand with an 87 point tie, Botswana as the least corrupt African country, while Somalia, South Sudan and Syria are at the bottom of the index.
To reduce corruption and restore trust in politics, Transparency International recommends that the governments:
- Reinforce checks and balances and promote separation of powers.
- Tackle preferential treatment to ensure budgets and public services aren’t driven by personal connections or biased towards special interests.
- Control political financing to prevent excessive money and influence in politics.
- Manage conflicts of interest and address “revolving doors”.
- Regulate lobbying activities by promoting open and meaningful access to decision-making.
- Strengthen electoral integrity and prevent and sanction misinformation campaigns.
- Empower citizens and protect activists, whistleblowers and journalists.