Kehinde Fajobi
Transparency International (TI) has ranked Nigeria as the 36th most corrupt country in the world, according to its 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released on Tuesday.
The country, which shares this position with Uganda, Mexico, Madagascar, Iraq, and Cameroon, received a score of 26 out of 100.
This places Nigeria in a group of nations struggling with corruption, despite a slight improvement from its previous score of 25 in 2023.
The CPI, which assesses public sector corruption across 180 countries and territories, highlighted Denmark as the least corrupt country, with a score of 90, followed by Finland (88) and Singapore (84).
While no African nation made it into the top 10 least corrupt countries, Cape Verde topped the list of African countries, ranking 35th globally with a score of 62.
Despite Nigeria’s modest progress, the country remains far behind several African nations that have strengthened anti-corruption frameworks and governance reforms.
Notably, the report points to South Sudan, Somalia, and Venezuela as the most corrupt nations, all of which scored at the bottom of the index.
In his remarks, Transparency International’s chair, François Valeria, noted the continued global battle against corruption, stating, “The 2024 CPI shows that corruption is a dangerous problem in every part of the world, but change for the better is happening in many countries.”
He also highlighted the negative impact of corruption on climate action, saying it hinders progress on reducing emissions and addressing the effects of climate change.
The 2024 CPI paints a grim picture of global corruption trends, with 148 countries either stagnating or worsening in corruption since 2012.
The global average score has remained at 43 for years, with more than two-thirds of nations scoring below 50.
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Valeria underscored the persistent threat corruption poses, stating, “Billions of people live in countries where corruption destroys lives and undermines human rights.”
While Nigeria’s marginal improvement signals some progress in its fight against corruption, the country continues to face significant challenges compared to its African counterparts.
The government’s efforts to tackle corruption and strengthen governance remain critical as it seeks to improve its ranking in future indices.