Quality Television is live! Stuck at the Bottom: Nigeria Slips Further on 2025 Corruption Index скачать в хорошем качестве

Quality Television is live! Stuck at the Bottom: Nigeria Slips Further on 2025 Corruption Index

Nigeria’s anti-corruption battle lost momentum again in 2025 as the country scored just 26 out of 100 on Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), dropping from 140th to 142nd among 180 countries worldwide. The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Transparency International’s Nigerian chapter, said the stagnant score reflects entrenched public perceptions of widespread corruption and weak governance reforms. Presenting the 2025 CPI report on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, in Abuja, CISLAC Executive Director, Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, stressed that the index measures perception rather than individual cases, warning that Nigeria’s continued stagnation points to deep structural failures. He called for urgent reforms, insisting that anti-corruption agencies such as the EFCC, ICPC, and NFIU must operate independently, free from political interference, and be adequately funded to ensure swift and fair trials. Rafsanjani acknowledged notable gains in asset recovery, revealing that the EFCC recovered over N566 billion, $411 million, and 1,502 properties between October 2023 and September 2025, while the ICPC recovered N37.44 billion and $2.353 million in 2025 alone. He also cited improved international cooperation, including the January 2026 agreement by the UK Crown Dependency of Jersey to repatriate over $9.5 million in corruption-linked assets for projects such as the Abuja–Kano road. Despite these gains, CISLAC warned that corruption within the security sector continues to fuel insecurity, calling for impartial investigations and an end to the politicisation of security agencies. The organisation also urged robust tracking of oil production and sales, demanding full accountability from the NNPC over funds allegedly missing in the Auditor-General’s 2022 report published in 2025. CISLAC further pressed for full digitisation of public procurement, open access to government contracts and budgets, and publicly accessible databases of recovered assets in line with the Proceeds of Crime Act and the Freedom of Information Act. Rafsanjani also charged the National Assembly to urgently pass the Whistleblower Protection Bill, describing investigative journalism, civil society, and active citizens as “indispensable to exposing corruption and defending democracy.” “We are open to working with all relevant bodies to make Nigeria better and protect the national interest,” Rafsanjani said. Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity, Umar Yakubu, and SERAP Programme Officer, Folashade Arigbabu, criticised the recent rejection of electoral reforms, calling for immediate mandatory electronic transmission of results to boost citizens' trust. They warned that unchecked corruption, particularly in the power sector, continues to undermine governance, citing the Auditor-General’s 2025 report which alleged the misappropriation of N128 billion by the Ministry of Power and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc. While acknowledging Nigeria’s exit from the FATF grey list, CISLAC cautioned that shrinking civic space, attacks on journalists, and weakening opposition parties ahead of the 2027 elections could reverse recent progress unless decisive action is taken.