Nigeria stagnates on anti-corruption index in 2025 — CISLAC

Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC)/Transparency International Nigeria says Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive stagnated in 2025, retaining a poor score of 26 out of 100.

The 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report was released on Tuesday in Abuja by CISLAC and other accountability partners.

It showed Nigeria dropped two places globally, falling from 140th position in 2024 to 142nd out of 180 countries assessed.

CISLAC said the ranking reflected limited progress in tackling systemic corruption despite repeated reforms and enforcement actions by government institutions.

The report noted that anti-graft agencies recorded activities, but outcomes failed to translate into improved public trust or stronger institutional credibility.

Speaking on the report, CISLAC Executive Director, Mr Auwal Rafsanjani, said Nigeria recorded only modest improvements in specific areas.

Rafsanjani attributed the marginal gains to improved asset recovery, exit from the Financial Action Task Force grey list, and sustained civil society advocacy.

“Despite serious institutional challenges, Nigeria recorded notable progress in asset recovery, international compliance, and civic engagement,” he said.

He cited recoveries by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission as encouraging, though insufficient.
Rafsanjani also referenced Nigeria’s removal from the FATF grey list in October 2025 as evidence of institutional resilience.

However, he stressed that the CPI score showed deeper reforms were still required to strengthen transparency and accountability.

Umar Yakubu, Executive Director of the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity, identified persistent weaknesses across key governance sectors.

Yakubu pointed to judicial integrity concerns, legislative corruption, oil theft, and subsidy fraud as major obstacles to reform.

“Judicial compromise, extortion within the National Assembly, and persistent subsidy fraud continue to frustrate reforms,” Yakubu said.

He referenced reports of bribery involving lawmakers and unaccounted oil revenues running into billions of naira and foreign currencies.

Accountability Lab Nigeria’s Storytelling Department Officer, Blessing Anolaba, highlighted additional governance and accountability challenges.

Anolaba linked corruption to shrinking civic space, intimidation of journalists, procurement fraud, and opacity in public institutions.

“The shrinking civic space and lack of transparency are creating an environment where corruption thrives,” she said.

She added that attacks on journalists and suppression of whistleblowers undermine democratic accountability and citizen participation.

SERAP Senior Programme Officer, Folashade Arigbabu, urged the Federal Government to urgently strengthen institutional independence.

Arigbabu called for “full autonomy for anti-graft agencies, transparent judicial appointments, and digitised procurement systems.”

She also advocated public access to recovered assets and the passage of the Whistleblower Protection Bill.

Arigbabu further urged mandatory electronic transmission of election results to reduce manipulation and electoral corruption.

The report, however, called for sustained collaboration among government, civil society, and the media to combat corruption effectively.