By: Joy Odor/Abuja
The Executive Director of Civil Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Mr. Auwal Musa Rafsanjani has blamed Nigeria ranking 146 out of 180 countries on the 2019 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) on the growing abuse of rule of law.
Speaking during a press conference on the CPI published by the Global Coalition Against Corruption, ‘Transparency International in Abuja, Thursday, 23rd 2020 , Mr Rafsanjani revealed that Nigeria slipped further down in the perception in 2019, going two places worst as against 2018.
He was of the opinion that the backlash against the media and civil society organisations daunted the perception of corruption in Nigeria, adding that impunity has been on the rise in the country.
Mr. Rafsanjani also noted that the atttacks on journalists and civil society organisations to prevent the demand for accountability, transparency and other initiatives on addressing corruption made a mockery of the intention of the government to fight corruption.
“Despite the proclaimed war on corruption by the Federal Goverment, Nigeria ranked 146 out of 180 countries in the newly released 2019 Corruption Perceptions lndex.
“Nigeria ranked 144 in 2018, two place down, in Africa, Nigeria ranked 32 out of 100 countries while in sub-Sahara, Nigeria ranked 49.
“The reasons why Nigerians and international Community still perceived the country as corrupt despite reforms, is that Nigeria’s rule of law are selective and limited to those who cannot afford to ignore them.
“This is because the management of confiscated assets and loots recovery is questionable as the goverment has not created a transparent and accountably mechanism and Nigerians are yet to see the results from the recovered assets” he lamented.
According to him, the goverment cannot fight corruption when what they do is harass, intimidate, arrasst, torture and jail the media and civil societies who exposed corruption with evidence.
Mr Rafsanjani lamented that this is a perfect expression of corruption fighting back and goverment is not doing anything, saying Nigeria system of goverment and the foundation of democracy are for sale.
He stressed that Nigeria would not win the fight against corruption when corruption is institutionalized within the political party system as the authorities lack consistency and understanding on what corruption actually is.
The Executive Director urgred Nigerian elite to reflect on the state of Nigeria and look at the foundation why the country do not progress while the rules of law needs to apply to all.
Mr Rafsanjani also enjoined goverment at all levels to desist from all forms of sectioned attacks on journalist and civil societies as it discount the little progress they are making against corruption
He concluded by saying that corruption remains the biggest governance challenge in Nigeria with far reaching cost on democracy, public support and confidence in democratization in Nigeria.
