Israel Adesanya, a mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter of Nigerian-New Zealand descent, has made candid remarks about the state of corruption in Nigeria.
News About Nigeria gathered that Adesanya, who recently regained the UFC middleweight title from Alex Pereira, expressed his love for Nigerians but also described Nigeria as a “very corrupt place.”
Adesanya, known for his success in the MMA world, stated that despite his affection for Nigerians, the country has numerous red flags indicating a high level of corruption.
He further claimed that Nigerian leaders are solely focused on looting public funds and nothing else, displaying desperation in their pursuit of personal gain.
Adesanya’s comments shed light on the pervasive issue of corruption in Nigeria, which has long been a challenge for the country’s development and progress.
Transparency International, a global anti-corruption organization, has consistently ranked Nigeria low on its Corruption Perceptions Index, reflecting the high level of perceived corruption in the country.
However, in the last global ranking released in February 2023, Nigeria moved up four positions.
“In the country comparison for the 2022 CPI, Nigeria ranks 150 out of 180 countries compared to 154 on the 2021 CPI results”, Transparency Internation stated.
It said the ranking for Nigeria was based on data that was aggregated from eight different sources that provide perceptions by country experts and businesspeople on the level of corruption in the public sector.
“While the index does not show specific incidences of corruption in the country, it indicates the perception of corruption in Nigeria.
“The index is impartial, objective and globally acknowledged as the most widely used cross-country parameter for measuring corruption.
The report further read, “It is important to stress that this is not an assessment of Nigeria’s anti-graft agencies who are making commendable efforts in the fight against corruption in Nigeria, despite the political interference they face. Rather, the CPI goes beyond the anti-graft agencies”.
