Nigeria has dropped five places in the 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released by Transparency International.
The nation currently ranks 154 out of 180 countries in the 2021 CPI which shows a drop of 149 in the 2020 index.
According to a tweet on TI’s official Twitter handle, @TranperencITng yesterday, Nigeria scored 24 out of 100 points in the 2021 index.
With the current CPI rating, Nigeria ranks as second most corrupt country in West Africa, after Guinea.
Transparency International argued that corruption is on the increase in Nigeria.
The report reads in part, “In the Corruption Perceptions Index 2021, Nigeria ranks 154 out of 180 countries and territories, falling back five places from the rank of 149 in 2020.
“The 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index released by Transparency International today shows corruption is on the increase in Nigeria.
“The country scored 24 out of 100 points in the #CPI2021, which is one point less compared to the score of 2020.”
The report implies that Nigeria is in its second-year downward spiral on TI’s CPI ranking.
TI also ranked Nigeria among 27 countries that are at their lowest score since the earliest comparable year of available data (2012).
The list has Australia, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Comoros, Cyprus, Dominica, Eswatini, Honduras, Hungary, Israel, Lebanon, Lesotho, Mongolia, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, South Sudan, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey and Venezuela.
The CPI is TI’s tool for measuring the levels of corruption in various countries around the world.
The maximum points a country can score is 100 points, and the least is zero. Zero signifies the worst performing countries and 100, the best-ranked.
TI also said that this year’s CPI revealed that corruption levels are at a worldwide standstill.
Pundits noted that the ranking might be an indicator that corruption in the country has gotten worse over the years.
This report is coming against the backdrop of the federal government’s avowed fight against graft.
