Nigeria has witnessed a slight improvement in its standing on the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International (TI), scoring 25 out of 100 points in the 2023 results. The nation gained one point from its previous score of 24, ascending five places from its 150th position in the global corruption ranking.
The CPI, widely recognized as a benchmark for global corruption assessment, gauges the perceived level of corruption within each country’s public sector. Using a scale from zero to 100, where zero signifies “highly corrupt,” and 100 represents a state perceived as very clean.
Presented by the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center (CISLAC) in Abuja, the index highlighted that Nigeria’s score falls below the Sub-Saharan African average of 33 points. While not pinpointing specific corruption incidents, the CPI reflects the prevailing perception of corruption in the country.
CISLAC clarified that the release is not an evaluation of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies but acknowledges their commendable efforts in combating corruption.
Seychelles retains its lead in the region with a CPI score of 71, followed by Cabo Verde (64) and Botswana (59). Conversely, Equatorial Guinea (17), South Sudan (13), and Somalia (11) show minimal signs of improvement and rank lowest.
In the 2023 CPI, Nigeria shares the 145th position with Liberia, Madagascar, and Mozambique.
Experts from Transparency International, including Paul Banoba, Robert Mwanyumba, and Samuel Kaninda, Regional Advisors for Africa, emphasized the challenges faced by Sub-Saharan African countries in tackling corruption. They pointed to diverse instances of corruption, including bribery, extortion, and political interference in justice systems, ranging from Nigeria to Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
