By: Yusuf Alli, Managing Editor, Northern OperationThe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has faulted the 2019 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) of Transparency International (TI) which ranked Nigeria 146 out of 180 countries analyzedThe Commission saidthe poor rating was baseless andappalling.It said the bogus and ambiguous criteria used by TI to arrive at its perception indexcan best be described as a jaundiced and illogical rating.It expressed regrets that TI has never acknowledged the achievements of EFCC.But the anti-graft agency, which said it will not be distracted,vowed to continue to pursue its mandate of fighting corruption.The EFCC made its position known in a statement by its Acting Head of Media and Publicity, Mr. Tony Orilade against the backdrop of the rating of TI.Although 49 countries were assessed in Sub-Saharan Africa, TI described the axisas the lowest scoring region with 32%.It said: As the lowest-scoring region on the CPI, with an average of 32, Sub-Saharan Africas performance paints a bleak picture of inaction against corruption.But the EFCC said the ranking of Nigeria as 146 did not reflect the nations anti-graft success.The statement said: We insist that the rating is a far cry from the evident strides and achievements so far accomplished by the anti-graft agency in the fight against corruption, particularly under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.The claim and inference by TI that Nigeria ranks the fourth most corrupt country in West Africa is totally unacceptable, as it is evidently not supported by any empirical data, especially when placed side-by-side with the remarkable achievements of the Commission in the past years.Moreover, it is quite ironic that the report by TI posits that the index does not show real incidences of corruption, yet it claims that the report is a reliable indication of the perception of the Nigerian public and the international community about the state of corruption in the country.Suffice to state that in 2019the year under review by TI was particularly a remarkable one for the EFCC as the Commission secured unprecedented record of 1,268 convictions, including that of a former state governor and a serving senator who was convicted for defrauding his state to the tune of N7.65billion.It was a landmark in the fight against corruption never achieved across the West African region, indeed, Africa at large. This is among several high profile cases, which were successfully prosecuted during the year with many of them currently serving various jail terms.Over the past years, billions of naira, millions of dollars and other foreign currencies were recovered from corrupt persons in the country, including securing the forfeiture of assets of their illegal and fraudulent activities. So far, the EFCC has evidently altered the narrative that there are some persons that are untouchables in the country.Read Also:Obaseki bags Fiscal Policy and Transparency Star of the Year awardIt is on record that three former state governors are currently serving different jail terms in prison for defrauding their states and stealing from the treasury to enrich themselves and their cronies.The EFCC has also spearheaded the Nigerian angle of prosecuting those involved in the Malabu Oil Fraud, and in partnership with the INTERPOL, was able to secure the repatriation of a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice implicated in the fraud, who has been on the run. Charges have already been filed against him at a Federal Capital Territory, FCT High Court and he has just been arraigned today.The commission has also not given up on its unrelenting efforts to ensure that a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, is made to answer for the various malfeasance perpetrated under her, in spite of the obvious reluctance of the United Kingdom to repatriate her to Nigeria.The onslaught against perpetrators of internet fraud, infamously known asyahoo-yahoo,has also intensified with several of them now serving jail terms.It is obvious that TI seems to have decidedly decided to look the other way, overlooking all these achievements all of which are not hidden. It is unfortunate that the body has never acknowledged the achievements of the EFCC. It is obvious that the body has its own hidden agenda.The commission will, however not be distracted by a body that has been consistent in its biased rating of Nigeria, and will continue in its mandate of fighting corruption.TIs report reads in part:With a score of 66, the Seychelles earns the highest mark in the region, followed by Botswana (61), Cabo Verde (58), Rwanda (53) and Mauritius (52). At the bottom of the index are Somalia (9), South Sudan (12), Sudan (16) and Equatorial Guinea (16).Significant improvers since 2012, Cote dIvoire (35) and Senegal (45) still have much work to do. The political will demonstrated by the leaders of both countries, which saw a number of key legal, policy and institutional reforms implemented in their early days in office, has been on a backslide since 2016.Since 2012, several countries, including Congo (19), Liberia (28), Madagascar (24) and Malawi (31) have significantly declined on the CPI. Congo has been the subject of repeated reports of money laundering and embezzlement of public funds by the countrys political elite 48 with no action taken by national authorities. In Madagascar, despite a 2018 constitutional court ruling against electoral amendments favouring the incumbent president and cited as unconstitutional, judicial independence remains a concern. More recently, the national anti-corruption agency began legal action against more than half of the countrys parliamentarians, who stand accused of taking bribes.Money is used to win elections, consolidate power and further personal interests. Although the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption has provisions to prevent corruption and encourage transparency in campaign financing, implementation is weak.
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