The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has called for stronger action against corruption in Nigeria in the wake of the release of the latest Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) of the Transparency International (TI) on Tuesday.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Nigeria fell two places to 142nd out of 182 countries in the 2025 CPI. Nigeria’s performance in the latest ranking was officially announced by CISLAC, TI’s chapter in the country, at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
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The country scored 26 out of 100, below the global average of 43, and trailed 33 other African nations in the ranking.
The CPI measures perceived levels of public‑sector corruption on a scale where zero is highly corrupt and 100 is very clean.
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Although Nigeria’s score remained the same as in 2024, its drop in ranking highlights stagnation in anti‑corruption efforts. CISLAC noted that corruption continues to affect governance and public service delivery across sectors, including security, health, power, and the judiciary.
Speaking to journalists after the presentation of the latest CPI, the Executive Director of CISLAC/ Transparency International in Nigeria, Auwal Ibrahim Musa (Rafsanjani), said the civil society organisation “is very deeply worried and concerned at the level of intensity of corruption or corrupt practices in Nigeria, especially at local, state and national levels. The level of corruption going on in various public institutions is worrisome.”
Mr Musa also emphasised the existence of corruption in the judiciary, health, power, and procurement sectors.
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“If you look at the corruption in the judiciary, Nigerians are losing hope and confidence in getting any justice, because people believe that justice is for sale.
“The health sector is virtually dead because of corruption. Procurement is still suffering. Despite government spending, Nigerians see little improvement in their lives,” the anti-corruption advocate said.
Highlighting the intensity of corruption and corrupt practices in Nigeria, he criticised the management of subsidy savings and highlighted that “Nigeria withdrew its subsidy and the government promised the savings would improve the lives of citizens.
“To date, there’s no credible data to show that all the money made by the Nigerian government, shared by federal and state and local governments, have helped in addressing either insecurity or health care crisis or educational gaps or even the infrastructure. A lot of people cannot even commute because of the bad roads,” he lamented.
Security implication
He also noted the impact of corruption on the security sector.
“Nigerians are losing their lives on a daily basis courtesy of corruption, because money budgeted to buy arms and ammunition disappeared. Personnel that are supposed to be recruited, corruption is involving recruitment and promotions, therefore demotivating many officers,” Mr Musa said.
On international cooperation for security, Mr Musa said Nigeria cannot address terrorism in isolation.
He said working with global partners is essential to tackle insecurity, but stressed that foreign involvement should not undermine national institutions or demoralise local security forces.
Mr Musa urged Nigerians to be proactive in promoting accountability. He said citizens must act responsibly, avoid criminal activities, and pay taxes, noting that fulfilling these duties gives them the legitimacy to demand transparency from the government.
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He also emphasised the need to support anti‑corruption agencies. He pointed out that without bodies like the EFCC, ICPC, criminality would be more than overwhelming. He called on citizens to ensure these agencies receive the necessary backing to perform their duties effectively and operate within the law.
He insisted that both the government and citizens must act decisively to curb corruption and strengthen national institutions.
He concluded that the CPI is a tool that will help governments to address gaps in terms of corruption and corrupt practices.
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