Adelani AdepegbaThe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has condemned the 2019 Corruption Perception Index released by Transparency International, which ranked Nigeria 146 out of 180 countries. It faulted the ranking and described as appalling, “the bogus and ambiguous criteria used by TI to arrive at what can best be described as a jaundiced and illogical rating”. The acting EFCC spokesman, Tony Orilade, said in a statement, “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 (Major General) Muhammadu Buhari (retd. The agency further argued that the TI index did 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”. The agency said it is on record that three former state governors are currently serving different jail terms for defrauding their states and stealing from the treasury to enrich themselves and their cronies.

Source: Punch January 23, 2020 17:37 UTC