Corruption Perception Index rates Nigeria worse

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The recent Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2009, puts Nigeria in 130th place out of a total of 180 countries compared in the report.

The report is published yearly by Transparency International (TI), a global anti-corruption watchdog and measures the perceived levels of public sector corruption in 180 countries and territories.

Last year, Nigeria was in 121st place which indicates that the perception about corruption in the country is worsening.

The issue of corruption is a long standing problem which has been going on for many years in Nigeria with government and public officials being at the top of the list as those perceived to be guilty of embezzling the nation’s money.

An example can be culled from a recent article published by This Day Newspaper last week stating that “General Abacha, who died in June 1998, is suspected of having siphoned over $3 billion from Nigeria between his coming to power in November 1993 and his death four-and-a-half years later.”

This is an ongoing case which has resulted in the Swiss authorities convicting one of the sons of the late General, last week.

At the forefront or most certainly in the limelight for the battle against corruption, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has a mission statement as follows:

“The EFCC will curb the menace of the corruption that constitutes the cog in the wheel of progress; protect national and foreign investments in the country, imbue the spirit of hard work in the citizenry and discourage ill gotten wealth; identify illegally obtained wealth and confiscate it; build and upright workforce in both public and private sectors of the economy, and contribute to the global war against financial crimes.”

Compared to some other countries like the United Kingdom (17th place in the CPI 2009 report) and the United States (19th place in the CPI 2009 report), Nigeria still has a long way to go in the fight against corruption but inroads are being made despite the dismal results for Nigeria in the recent CPI.