Nigeria becomes second most corrupt nation

The Guardian editorial

The global anti corruption coalition, Transparency International (TI) rated Nigeria the second most corrupt nation in West Africa. In its 2021 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released recently, Nigeria dropped five places, scored 24 out of 100 points in the index. This is coming after President Mohammed Buhari’s avowed fight against graft as the lodestar of his administration. Nigeria’s current 154 ranking in 180 countries is a drop from 149 in the 2020 index. This country’s second consecutive year of downward spiral on the CPI ranking is most unwholesome. Nigeria’s score dropped from 26 in 2019 to 25 in 2020 and further downwards to 24 in 2021. The CPI is TI’s tool for measuring corruption levels in countries around the world. Zero is the measure of the worst country while 100 is the best ranked country. The Ti representative in Nigeria said during the presentation of the report, that Nigeria’s decline made corruption the greatest contributor to underdevelopment in Nigeria. Despite the boasts by the Nigerian government on fighting corruption, driving license, new job openings and passport applications are still filled with corrupt tendencies as officials in charge still expect kickbacks while rendering their services. Rising insecurity, ethnic cleansing and unemployment are still blamed on corruption. Moreover, systemic failure in healthcare delivery during this pandemic and leadership failure have been found to be engendered by corrupt practice. The CPI is impartial, scientifically objective and recognized as the most accepted parameter for measuring corruption. This report shows corruption is still a major challenge in Nigeria. Corruption is hindering our development, economic prosperity and it is responsible for deepening poverty in Nigeria. Corruption is destroying the country; insecurity persists because of corruption. The report is the perception of corruption in Nigeria’s public sector. Therefore, we call on anti-graft agencies to investigate allegations of corruption leveled against politicians, political office holders and civil servants. Justice delayed is justice denied. We call on the National Assembly to fast track the passage of relevant laws amending statutes to strengthen the anti-graft agencies. According to CPI parameters, corruption is more than stealing, although we are not saying stealing isn’t corruption; certainly stealing is corruption. However, nepotism, a phenomenon that has gained greater traction in this Buhari era, is corruption. It is noteworthy that just as President Ebele Jonathan didn’t see stealing as corruption, President Buhari doesn’t see nepotism as corruption too. This is a grave error of our educational system. All the more corrupt is the practice of alienating other ethnic groups from the police, the military and the civil service which failure to observe federal character in the recruitment of personnel in the public service of the federation. Failure to remit revenue gathered by our ministries, departments and agencies to the federation account is also corruption. Failure to punish corrupt officials is also corruption. We are well aware that during budget hearings, legislators are asked to include their constituency needs, which makes budget padding by legislators acts of corruption. Indeed, the refrain that by joining the ruling party yours sins are forgiven by a former national chairman of the ruling party, legitimizes corruption. For in the aftermath of that statement, people indicted for corruption who joined the ruling party had their prosecution stalled. The prosecution of Buhari’s first Secretary to the Government of the Federation has been going on for more than three years now. The case of corruption Jonathan’s National Security Adviser was charged with is still pending six years after. Government’s refusal to punish avowed culprits is an act of corruption. How and who can stop corruption? This should be part of our questions for the in-coming President in 2023. When governors see state money in their care as their money, it becomes difficult to check corruption. Which is why the Niger Delta Development Commission has become haven for corruption. The same goes for the NNPC; behind the clamor for and against the removal of petroleum subsidy is corruption. It is corruption that has kept the refineries with government. The Federal Government has no business keeping refineries. They’re being kept in order to use them to steal. It is a sad commentary about a country called the giant of Africa. Corruption appears in many forms. It has been identified as bribery, extortion, illegal use of public property for private use. Over and under invoicing , payment to ghost workers and pensioners; payment for goods not supplied or services not rendered, under payments of exports and imports have been categorized as corruption. Other forms of corruption are: purchase of goods at inflated prices, fraud and embezzlement; misappropriation of funds and assets; court decisions awarding damages in excess of injury suffered. Some corruption endemic nation states are called kleptocracy, mafia dominated states. In a kleptocracy, the head of government runs the system in such a way that he maximizes the extraction of rents and he allocates these for personal aggrandizement. Under a bilateral monopoly state, the corrupt leader has a single major briber as a multinational corporation. In some bilateral monopolies, rulers form alliance with bandits, or a mafia group to provide protective services to pillage, cause fear and keep the populace in a permanent state of insurrection. In Nigeria today, corruption is retarding long term growth, foreign and domestic investment. It contributes to capital flight, promotes runaway inflation and the depreciation of the national currency. Since government has made corruption endemic, only a visionary leader can stem it. Sadly, less than three of the current presidential aspirants can tame corruption within the next decade. Corruption makes Nigeria vulnerable to secession and disintegration. Which is why it isn’t too late for government to tame it.