The Federal Government has rubbished Transparency International’s report placing Nigeria as the 4th most corrupt country in Africa.
Odunews.com had earlier reported that Nigeria dropped lower in the report in 2019 which amounted to the country being perceived as the most corrupt country in West Africa, 4th in Africa and 146th out of 180 countries in the world.
However, reacting to this development, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami said the facts on the ground did not correlate with the information dished out by Transparency International.
Speaking in an interview on Channels Television’s Lunch Time Politics, Malami said as far he is concerned “the empirical evidence” did not support Transparency International’s report.
The Attorney General said in terms of the government’s fight against corruption, more has been done.
“In terms of the fight against corruption, we have been doing more, we have done more and we will continue to do more out of inherent conviction and desire on our part to fight against corruption devoid of any extraneous considerations relating to the rating by Transparency International.
“Our resolve to fight corruption is inherent and indeed devoid of any extraneous considerations, we will continue to do more and we will double efforts,” he said.
Malami added that there was nothing that has not been done as a nation in the fight against corruption.
“In terms of legislation, we have done more, in terms of enforcement we have done more, in terms of recovery of looted assets we have done more, and in terms of political goodwill, we have demonstrated extra-ordinary political goodwill,” Malami stated.
Malami challenged Transparency International to provide indices and statistics from which the organisation adjudged that Nigeria is not doing enough in its fight against corruption, adding that for a conclusion to be legitimate, then there has to be specific facts and figures to establish a position.
