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NIGERIA DROPS, NOW SECOND MOST CORRUPT COUNTRY IN WEST AFRICA ON GLOBAL CORRUPTION INDEX

Nigeria is currently ranked 149 on Transparency International’s 2020 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) making her become the second most corrupt West African country, scoring 25 out of 100 points.


The 2020 CPI released on Thursday, 28th January 2021 by the global coalition against corruption organization reveals that persistent corruption is undermining health care systems and contributing to democratic backsliding amid the COVID-19 pandemic.


The report stated that countries that performed well on the index invest more in health care and are better able to provide universal health coverage and are less likely to violate democratic norms and institutions or the rule of law.


The 2020 edition of the CPI uses a scale of zero (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean).


The latest report indicates that corruption in Nigeria has worsened compared to the ratings two years ago. In 2019, Nigeria was ranked 146, scoring 26 of 100 points, while in 2018 ranked 144, scoring 27 out of 100 points.


“The past year has tested governments like no other in memory, and those with higher levels of corruption have been less able to meet the challenge. But even those at the top of the CPI must urgently address their role in perpetuating corruption at home and abroad.”


Nigeria follows Guinea Bissau ranked at 165 as the most corrupt nation in West Africa scoring 19 out of 100 points.


Fellow African countries Somalia and South Sudan ranked 179, scoring 12 of 100 points individually are perceived as the most corrupt nations on earth.


Of the 49 countries assessed in Sub-Saharan Africa, only 12 are more corrupt than Nigeria. They are Zimbabwe, Chad, Eritrea, Burundi, Congo, Guinea Bissau, Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, Somalia and South Sudan. 


The report explains that the COVID-19 pandemic created structural gaps in national health care systems, corruption risks associated with public procurement and the misappropriation of emergency funds.


Globally, Denmark and New Zealand top the index, with 88 points. Syria, Somalia and South Sudan come last, with 14, 12 and 12 points, respectively.


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