Crime
THE fact that Nigeria is perceived as the second most corrupt country in West Africa shows that the nation’s anti-corruption war is not yielding the desired results. The government should therefore examine the drivers behind Nigeria’s deteriorating anti-corruption image and take necessary actions that will tackle systemic corruption in the country.
By Goddy Ikeh
DESPITE the pledges made by President Muhammadu Buhari during his inauguration in 2015 to tackle “insecurity, pervasive corruption, the hitherto unending and seemingly impossible fuel and power shortages are the immediate concerns. We are going to tackle them head-on. Nigerians will not regret that they have entrusted national responsibility to us. We must not succumb to hopelessness and defeatism. We can fix our problems.”
Unfortunately, more than five years after his first inauguration speech, not much has been accomplished, especially the issue of tackling the pervasive corruption in the country, which is central to most of the other challenges confronting the country and the government has therefore not been able to “fix our problems”.
In spite of the anti-corruption campaigns of the Nigerian government, the country was ranked the fourth most corrupt country in West Africa and 146 out of 180 in the world, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index. The 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released in January by TI in Abuja, showed that Nigeria recorded a decline.
Published exclusively in Nigeria by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), the National Chapter of TI, the index revealed that Nigeria scored 25 out of 100 points, falling back by one point compared to 2019. The Executive Director, CISLAC, Auwal Ibrahim Musa Rafsanjani, who announced the results, noted that in the past four years, Nigeria’s score had declined on average by 0.8 percent annually.
He noted that CPI aggregates data from eight different sources that provided perceptions by Nigeria’s business community and country experts on the level of corruption in the public sector.
Stating that while the index does not show specific incidences of corruption, “it is an indication of the perception of the Nigerian public about the state of corruption in the country. The index is completely impartial, objective and globally well respected,” Rafsajani said.
He observed that Nigeria’s CPI score was just another reminder of the need for a fast, transparent and robust response to the challenges posed by corruption to Nigeria.
Local media reports quoted Rafsajani as saying that it is worrying that despite the numerous efforts by state actors on the war against corruption, Nigeria is still perceived by citizens and members of the international community as being corrupt.
He stressed that CISLAC/TI and partners suspect a list of key weaknesses to explain why Nigeria may not have improved in the fight against corruption.
While sighting absence of transparency in the Covid-19 pandemic response, nepotism in the public service appointments and promotions, lack of adequate anti-corruption legal frameworks and interference by politicians in the operation of law enforcement agencies among others, he said, “Going forward, we use this medium to call on the government and her supporters to examine the drivers behind Nigeria’s deteriorating anti-corruption image and consider actions which will tackle systemic corruption.”
And not only did Nigeria slipped two places below from 146th position in 2019 to 149th in 2020, Nigeria scored 25 out of 100 points, falling by one point compared to 2019. From the 2020 report of the Transparency International, Nigeria is perceived as the second most corrupt country in West Africa.
“This year’s (2020) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) paints a grim picture of the state of corruption worldwide. While most countries have made little to no progress in tackling corruption in nearly a decade, more than two-thirds of countries scored below 50,” the report said.
And reacting to the report, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, said that the 2020 corruption index report on Nigeria by Transparency International has further confirmed that the administration of the President Muhammadu Buhari “is a citadel of corruption and the most corrupt in the history of our nation.”
The PDP asserted that the TI report, “is an incontrovertible confirmation that our nation is more corrupt under President Buhari and the APC, than it was in 2015 when they took office”.
PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement that the descent into the abyss of corruption only goes to show that President Buhari’s anti-corruption stance is a mere swindle used to delude Nigerians while the vaults were laid open for APC leaders and officials of the Buhari’s administration to plunder.
“Indeed, the record of unbroken decline from 136th in 2016 to 144th in 2018, 146th in 2019 and now 149th in 2020, under President Buhari, the African Union (AU) Anti-Corruption Champion,’ settles the now notorious fact that the Buhari administration and the APC are titleholders in corruption.
“Nigerians can now see what the APC and the Buhari Presidency did, upon assumption of office, was to simulate a holier than thou attitude, deploy the instrument of propaganda to deliberately castigate the PDP with false corruption allegations just to divert public attention and create a safe atmosphere for APC leaders to loot our nation to her knees.”
Responding to the report of Transparency International, Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the President on Media and Publicity on Thursday January 28, 2021, said that the Buhari administration deserved credit for diminishing corruption in the public service and would continue to vigorously support prevention, enforcement, public education and enlightenment activities of anti-corruption agencies.
In a statement, Shehu said: “We are currently analyzing the sources of data used in arriving at the latest Transparency International (TI) report on Corruption Perceptions Index in Nigeria since by their own admission, they don’t gather their own data.
“This report is not an accurate portrayal of the facts on ground.
In the coming days, the Government’s Technical Unit on Governance Research, TUGAR, will be providing more detailed information on the sources of the TI data.”
Shehu was quick to point out that the government was also not unaware of the characters behind the TI in Nigeria, “whose opposition to the Buhari administration is not hidden”.
“We have repeatedly challenged TI to provide indices and statistics of its own to justify its sensational and baseless rating on Nigeria and the fight against corruption. We expect them to come clean and desist from further rehashing of old tales.
“Reality is based on verifiable facts and data. And any evidence-based analysis would prove that whether it is by prevention or punitive measures in recoveries and prosecution, this administration would be rising fast up these rankings rather than standing still.
“Organizations should be factual in their analysis and be prepared to rely on inputs outside of sensational media reports and age-old narratives which have not been updated to reflect today’s reality in Nigeria concerning its globally-respected war on corruption.
“In the existential fight against this multi-pronged malice and manifestations of corruption, President Muhammadu Buhari has avowed that he would take-no-prisoners, guided by respect for the rule of law.
“We invite Nigerians to stand with an administration that has done so much on asset recovery, prosecution, legislation, political will and leadership by example in the fight against corruption,” the statement added.
However, despite the defense of the Presidency, the average Nigerian, believes that the anti-corruption is only targeted at political opponents and internet scammers, while the authorities and the agencies charged with the fight against corruption would always turn a blind eye to investigating politicians, especially those in the ruling APC, some of whom were caught on camera taking bribes.
And for the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, which has been in the vanguard for a corruption free society, has just sent a Freedom of Information request to the minister of water resources, Suleiman Adamu, urging him to “clarify the action that his ministry has taken to address and find the alleged billions missing from the Ministry and its agencies, and if there is relevant admissible evidence of corruption and mismanagement, to refer the allegations to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution.”
The organisation has also urged him to “ensure the full recovery of any missing public funds, revealed in the 2017 annual audited report by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.”
In the FoI request dated February 27, 2021 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization said: “Allegations of corruption and mismanagement in the Ministry and its agencies can cause serious harm to the socially and economically vulnerable. Satisfactorily addressing these allegations and recovering any missing public funds is a critical matter of public health, human rights, transparency and accountability. The COVID-19 crisis makes this action all the more urgent.”
SERAP said: “Knowing how the Ministry has responded to the queries from the Auditor-General, and ensuring a thorough investigation and prosecution of these allegations would end impunity for corruption in the water sector, serve the public interest, as well as help to improve access of Nigerians to clean water and sanitation services.”
“Millions of Nigerians continue to lack access to an improved water source and access to proper sanitation. Limited availability of water in public hospitals makes it difficult for health professionals and the public to wash their hands – restricting the ability of people to respond to COVID-19,” SERAP said.
And beyond the claims and counter claims of the two leading political parties in the country, the failure to fight corruption will always lead to the diversion of funds meant for essential services, result in lack of transparency in allocation of resources/funds, especially during emergencies and breach of human rights and democratic norms. Since these elements are still prevalent in the country, the nation will always score abysmally low in the corruption perception index.
Perhaps, mainstreaming anti-corruption policies, increasing transparency in public contracting, strengthening audit and oversight institutions, protection of civic space and enforcing checks and balances are needed in retooling the ongoing anti-corruption campaign in the country.
-March 01 2021 @ 15:50 PM
Tags: Taming Nigeria’s systemic corruption gets tougher
