By Transparency International has released a new report showing that Nigeria has dropped two spots on the list of ranked Most Corrupt Nation. This is coming as the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration is intensifying the fight against corruption.
Nigeria which was normally on the 138 spot from the 176 countries on the list as ranked in 2015, it has dropped to the 136. This means that Nigeria is no longer on the Top 40 Most Corrupt Country.
In the report index released by the organization on Wednesday, Somalia, South Sudan, North Korea and Syria are perceived to be the most corrupt countries in the world, according to Transparency International’s latest annual review that draws on a mix of business and government sources for its rankings.
According to the report, Somalia has held the undesirable title as the world’s most corrupt country for the past ten years, with a score of 10 on the Corruption Perceptions Index 2016.
Second from the bottom is South Sudan, a relatively new country which only gained its independence from Sudan six years ago, with a score of 11.
In Africa, Somalia is ranked 1st while Venezuela is the 10th most corrupt country.
The third most corrupt country is North Korea, followed by Syria, a war-torn country which is presently seeing a massive outflow of refugees.
However, countries in the Middle East suffered the worst declines on the corruption index, led by Qatar which fell 10 scores from the previous year due to scandals such as FIFA’s decision to host the World Cup 2022 in Qatar amid reports of migrant workers abuse, Transparency International said.
The continuous cycle of corruption fueling social inequality has led to disenchanted citizens across the globe, who then turn to populist politicians, Transparency International said.
But, populist leaders are likely to worsen the issue of corruption.
According to the Chairman of Transparency International, José Ugaz, in a media statement, “In countries with populist or autocratic leaders, we often see democracies in decline and a disturbing pattern of attempts to crack down on civil society, limit press freedom, and weaken the independence of the judiciary.
“Instead of tackling crony capitalism, those leaders usually install even worse forms of corrupt systems,” Ugaz added.
Hungary and Turkey, which are experiencing the rise of autocratic leaders, have seen their corruption scores fall, while Argentina having ousted a populist government late in 2015 is showing signs of improvement, Transparency International said.
Most corrupt countries in the World
Somalia
South Sudan
North Korea
Syria
Yemen
Sudan
Libya
Afghanistan
Guinea-Bissau
Venezuela
