Nigeria now 39th most corrupt nation, says TI

The global corruption watchdog, Transparency
International, has ranked Nigeria as the 39th most corrupt
nation in the world.
According to the Corruption Perception Index 2014
released on Wednesday, Nigeria scored 27 out of a
maximum 100 marks to clinch the 136th position out of the
175 countries surveyed for the report.
Nigeria appeared to have improved by eight points against
its 2013 rating of 144th of 175 countries last year.
It will be recalled that the Transparency International
Corruption Perception Index ranked Nigeria 35th most
corrupt nation in the world in 2012.
A statement issued by the Transparency International
noted that more than two thirds of the 175 countries in the
2014 Corruption Perceptions Index scored below 50, on a
scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100
(perceived to be very clean).
Denmark is the least corrupt nation in the world, ranking
first out of the 175 countries surveyed while North Korea
and Somalia are the most corrupt nations of the world.
The Transparency International said while top performer,
Denmark, had strong rule of law, support for civil society
and clear rules governing the behaviour of those in public
positions, it also set an example by announcing plans to
create a public register, such as beneficial ownership
information for all companies incorporated in Denmark.
This measure, according to the corruption watchdog, will
make it harder for the corrupt to hide behind companies
registered in another person’s name.
Botswana comes top as the least corrupt nation in Africa,
ranking 31st least corrupt globally while South Africa is
ranked 67th.
Transparency International Chairman, José Ugaz, in a
statement on the TI website, said countries at the bottom
needed to adopt radical anti-corruption measures in favour
of their people.
“The 2014 Corruption Perceptions Index shows that
economic growth is undermined and efforts to stop
corruption fade when leaders and high level officials abuse
power to appropriate public funds for personal gain,” Ugaz
said.
According to Ugaz, countries at the top of the index
should make sure they do not export corrupt practices to
underdeveloped countries.
“The biggest falls were in Turkey (-5), Angola, China,
Malawi and Rwanda (all -4). The biggest improvers
were Côte d´Ivoire, Egypt, Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines (+5) and Afghanistan, Jordan, Mali and
Swaziland (+4),” the statement said.
The anti-corruption group said it was currently running a
campaign to unmask the corrupt, urging the European
Union, the United States and G20 countries to follow
Denmark’s lead and create public registers that would
make clear “who really controls, or is the beneficial
owner, of every company.”