The Presidency has declared that Nigerians are partly to be blamed for the country’s ranking as one of the most corrupt in the world.
A February 2018 report by Transparency International (TI) ranked Nigeria as one of the most corrupt countries in the world as it placed 148 out of the 180 countries that were examined.
While speaking on on Monday, October 1, 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said the government is not solely to be blamed for the report as has been insinuated. According to him, the report also reflects poorly on the Nigerian people who constitute the country.
He said, “We have spoken many times about that ranking and my position is that that ranking is not strictly about government, it is about Nigeria and her people.
“Some people want to make it seem as if it’s a vote of no confidence in government or is a lower mark for the government. I don’t agree, I think it is a lower mark for the people because the people constitute the country.
“And if things do not seem to have worked as they should work, the people also have part of the blame to bear.”
Adesina further faulted the prestige with which the report is held by the public, noting that it doesn’t necessarily accurately reflect the realities in the country.
According to him, the Buhari-led government is making strides to rid the country of corruption and is well on its way to achieve success.
He said, “As much as I respect Transparency International, I don’t think we necessarily need them to authenticate what is going on in the country; because we, Nigerians, know that there is a war against corruption ongoing and that war is succeeding.
“There are strides being taken. It may not be there yet, and we are not there, but we are on the way there. So, let no agency from any part of the world come to think that whatever it says is the gospel to us. It can help and inform what is happening but it is not something that will be a millstone round the neck of government.”
African countries ranked higher than Nigeria in the report include: Botswana (34th), Rwanda(48th), Namibia (53rd), and Kenya (143rd).
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