Abuja (Sundiata Post) – Transparency International’s corruption perception index cannot be taken seriously because it is not “fact-based”, a presidential spokesperson has said.
Garba Shehu, President Muhammadu Buhari’s spokesperson, was referring to the latest corruption index report that showed Nigeria scoring lower than it did in 2018, and emerging the world’s 34th most corrupt nation.
In the report released on Thursday, Nigeria fell two places from 144th to 146th position out of the 180 countries that were surveyed worldwide.
Nigeria’s latest placement by the anti-corruption watchdog has triggered debates about the success of the Buhari administration’s well-publicised fight against corruption. Both the EFCC and the ICPC have condemned the report.
The EFCC on Thursday described the report as “baseless and appalling”, while the ICPC said the reality on the ground was different from the perception concluded by Transparency International.
Mr Shehu, speaking on Channels Television Sunrise Daily on Saturday, said the report was inaccurate because it was based on secondary sources.
“The report itself is a perception index,” Mr Shehu said. “So perception is what it is. It is different from the reality that you have on the ground.”
According to him, “The report is harsh on the government. It does not take due cognisance of the ground reality.(Premium Times)
