The current corruption perception index (CPI) released by Transparency International has ranked Nigeria 154 of 180 countries sampled methodically.
The organisation, in its latest report released on Tuesday in Abuja, said that Nigeria dropped five places downward compared to the 2020 CPI results.
The report showed that Nigeria scored 24 out of 100 points in the 2021 CPI, falling back one point compared to the 2020 CPI.
Country Representative of TI, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani blamed the decline on corruption in the public sector.
Transparency International has released the 2021 corruption perception index globally, placing Nigeria 154 out of 180 countries studied methodologically.
Rafsanjani, who is also the Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), said that corruption in Nigeria has greatly contributed to the nation’s underdevelopment.
The TI rep noted despite successive governments claiming to fight corruption, job opportunities, driving license acquisition, passport applications among others, were still frost with corrupt tendencies, especially as officials in charge of these basic services expect some form of kickbacks while rendering such duties.
He claimed that corruption was responsible for rising insecurity, high unemployment rate and systemic failure in healthcare delivery and leadership dysfunctions.
The TI Rep said: “The CPI aggregates data from eight different sources that provide perceptions by country experts and business people on the level of corruption in the public sector.
“While the index does not show specific incidences of corruption in the country, it indicates the perception of corruption in Nigeria. The index is completely impartial, objective and globally acknowledged as the most widely used cross country parameter for measuring corruption.
“This shows that corruption is still a major challenge in our country, hindering development. It has upturned our value system negatively. It has affected good governance in this country; that is why we are concerned as Nigerians.
“Corruption is destroying our country. It is because of corruption that insecurity persists in Nigeria.
“The report is not an assessment of the federal government’s anti – corruption fight but a perception of corruption in public sector. Everything that has to do with our public sector is embedded in corruption.
“We all have a responsibility to ensure that corruption is tackled in a manner that doesn’t destroy this country for all of us.”
The report called on the relevant anti – graft agencies to investigate allegations of corruption by Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs).
It also called on the National Assembly to speed up deliberations and passage of relevant anti – corruption related laws or amendments to strengthen anti – corruption efforts in the interest of Nigerians.
The report urged President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to these laws once they are passed while taking into consideration the best interest of the citizens.