The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has said Nigeria’s claim to a successful fight against corruption is not backed by facts.
CISLAC’s declaration is coming shortly after the annual Corruption Perception Index published by Transparency International revealed that the country dropped from 144 in 2018 to 146 in the 2019 report.
The report shows that Nigeria ranks 146 out of the 180 countries considered, behind Botswana (34), Rwanda (51) and Mauritius (56), among other African nations.
The latest report indicates that Nigeria is two steps lower from 144 ranked in 2018.
CISLAC Executive Director Auwal Ibrahim Musa, addressing reporters on Thursday on the launch of the 2019 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), noted that despite claims of success against corruption, the perception has continued to be abysmal, adding that the corruption fight is selective.
According to him, there is no way the fight against corruption can be successful when corruption charges are dropped once an indicted individual changes party membership.
The CISLAC boss said the civil society organisations not enemies of the government, adding that as taxpayers and citizens, they owe it as a duty to tell the government the truth where its performance is poor and is resulting in depriving Nigerians of critical infrastructures.
“We are anti-people policies. We have been consistent in recognizing success where it is due since 2015,” Musa said.
He added: “The CPI aggregate data from a number of different sources that provide perceptions by the business community and country experts of the level of corruption in the public sector. While the index does not show real incidences of corruption, it is a reliable indication of the perception of the Nigerian public and the international community about the state of corruption in the country. The index is 100 per cent impartial, objective and globally well respected.”
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