TI’s corruption indices on Nigeria sensational and baseless, says Presidency

*The presidential spokesman discloses that in the coming days, the Government’s Technical Unit on Governance Research will be providing more detailed information on the sources of the Transparency International data

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

The Federal Government, again, has challenged Transparency International (TI) to provide indices and statistics to justify its latest Corruption Perception Index (CPI) rating on Nigeria and the fight against corruption.

The TI data had suggested that the country’s corruption situation had worsened in the past year, when the organisation’s CPI placed Nigeria 149 out of the 180 countries surveyed.

Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, in a statement Thursday, January 28, however, responded to the assessment.

The presidential spokesman rather, said that the country deserves credit for reducing corruption in the country.

ConsumerConnect reports though he did not include specific, handy facts and figures to counter the Transparency International’s CPI on the country in the statement, Shehu contended that the TI report is not an accurate portrayal of the facts on the ground.

He stated: “The Buhari administration deserves credit for diminishing corruption in the public service and will continue to vigorously support prevention, enforcement, public education and enlightenment activities of anti-corruption agencies.

“We are currently analysing the sources of data used in arriving at the latest Transparency International (TI) report on Corruption Perceptions Index in Nigeria since by their own admission, they don’t gather their own data.

“This report is not an accurate portrayal of the facts on ground.”

According to him, as the government is awaiting more detailed information to dispute the organisation’s assessment of the country’s situation, the SSA to the President said, “in the coming days, the Government’s Technical Unit on Governance Research (TUGAR) will be providing more detailed information on the sources of the TI data.”

Although the statement acknowledged the government is ready to learn from mistakes and make corrections, perhaps by focusing on the message and not the messenger, the Spokesman yet said, “we are also not unaware of the characters behind the TI in Nigeria whose opposition to the Buhari administration is not hidden.”

He added: “We have repeatedly challenged TI to provide indices and statistics of its own to justify its sensational and baseless rating on Nigeria and the fight against corruption.

“We expect them to come clean and desist from further rehashing of old tales.”

The statement also urges friends in the media, development partners, and civil society organisations (CSO) to continue to support efforts at strengthening accountability, transparency, ethical values and integrity in Nigeria’s public sector.

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