by Godwin Akanfe

According to the Corruption Perceptions Index 2013 released by Transparency International, Nigeria is the 31st most corrupt nation in the world.

The index scores 177 countries and territories on a scale from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). No country has a perfect score, and two-thirds of countries score below 50.

The best 17 countries in zero tolerance for corruption are Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, Netherlands, Australia, Canada, Luxembourg, Germany, Iceland, United Kingdom, Barbados, Belgium and Hong Kong.

While Nigeria is 31 on the list, the top 20 most corrupt countries are made up of mostly African countries.

Meanwhile, Transparency International has called for an immediate renewal of the anti-graft war by building transparent public institutions.

“The world urgently needs a renewed effort to crack down on money laundering, clean up political finance, pursue the return of stolen assets and build more transparent public institutions.”

“It is time to stop those who get away with acts of corruption. The legal loopholes and lack of political will in government facilitate both domestic and cross-border corruption, and call for our intensified efforts to combat the impunity of the corrupt”.

Kolapo Olapoju