The Presidency has faulted Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index 2017 released on Wednesday which indicated that corruption in Nigeria had worsened in the last one year.
According to Transparency International, Nigeria, with a score of 27 per cent, now ranks 148 out of 180 countries. The organisation said Nigeria’s latest result was worse than that of 2016 wherein the country was ranked 136 with a score of 28 per cent.
In the latest rankings, Nigeria shares the 148th spot with Comoros and Guinea. But the Presidency, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, described the report as misleading and unfair.
Shehu said the whole episode might turn out to be a political distraction, considering the strong views some of Transparency International’s patrons had expressed against the present administration.
He said while the Presidency welcomed constructive criticisms from the anti-corruption watchdog, the organisation had a responsibility to reflect the larger picture of the “verifiable” achievements of the present administration since May 2015.
While describing political will as the first major component of fighting corruption in any country, Shehu said the President had made a huge difference by demonstrating not only the political will but also the courage to go after high-profile looters, including former military service chiefs and judges.
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