The civil organization, the gentlemen of the press.
I welcome you all to this all-important press conference, being the 29th of January 2020, on behalf of initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria and over 774 allied Civil Society groups present as we set the record straight on the above subject Matter.

‘‘The misguided self-assumed corruption umpire has once again misfired in her recent pronouncement on corruption in Nigeria. This is considered unfounded and disingenuous to the realities that stir at the faces of every Nigerian on the issue of corruption with clear records to match every success attained year in, year out in the fight against corruption in Nigeria since assumption of office by President Muhammadu Buhari. To erroneously assert that Nigeria scored 26 out of 100 percent, dropping from 27 points that she has maintained since 2017, ranking 146 out of 180 countries of the world in 2019. Transparency International corruption perception index is an insult on our collective intelligence. Such foolishness should be ignored, not to give room to cheap popularity by Transparency International, a mere NGO and nothing more. Transparency International does not have acclaimed legitimate powers to assert such negative statement. Such erroneous pronouncement portrays vested interest somewhere. Unguided, poor, and reckless statements as this is an insult to the Nigeria state’’

‘‘The clarity on the above statement credited to Nigeria by Transparency International is just to cast aspersion on president Muhammadu Buhari’s led government to further underscore the sinister intention to paint the Nigeria government in a negative light in the public domain, as such, it should be jettisoned by Nigerians because the government is currently winning the war against corruption with clear evidence to attest to the truth about the fight against corruption in Nigeria’’

‘‘It is unpatriotic and a witch-hunt to ascribe low performance in the fight against corruption by the current administration. it is a foul statement with a very narrowed perception capable of inciting the public negatively. For every succeeding year, the government have overtime secured the convictions of corrupt people, both public office holders and private entities, which further disagrees with the recent claims on corruption by Transparency International; it is a calculated and orchestrated attempt to disorient the general public against the effort of government in the fight against corruption in Nigeria’’

‘‘Transparency International lied for self-serving interest somewhere, for meagre pay in a ploy to promote discountenance within the Nigerian society. If I may ask, what are the parameters used by Transparency International in the assessment of the performance of the present government’s fight against corruption in Nigeria? What is the corruption chart analysis from 2017 to date that buttresses the decline in the fight against corruption in Nigeria? If Transparency International cannot provide the above records to ascertain the true picture, then she should shut her mouth and remain silent’’

‘‘It obviously means that the above claims can be regarded as mere concocted report targeted to indict President Buhari’s led government, whereas so much feat has been achieved so far in the fight against corruption in Nigeria. Transparency International Nigeria is a rubber stamp NGO whose mere corruption perception index is targeted to blackmail the Africa continent, particularly Nigeria being the giant of Africa. Hence, should not be allowed to throw the country in disarray, the insensitivity of Transparency International should be ignored forthwith’’

‘‘The corruption perception index of Transparency International, as it implies ‘‘perception”, is regarded as a mere observation; it cannot be seen overriding the general view of the people of Nigeria because perception differs with respect to individual views. Transparency International is one out of millions of views and analysis on corruption with different parameters of assessing corruption level of a country’’

‘‘Transparency International’s view and observation on corruption in Nigeria is limited to assert her fictitious claims on Nigeria.

It can be likened to as blinkered and baseless, as such, the government of Nigeria should ignore the fallacious claims on corruption by Transparency International, not to get distracted but remain focus and committed to duties and responsibilities as statutorily expected by Nigerians’’

‘‘The initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria condemn in totality the unfounded cockeyed and haphazard perception of Transparency International. We urge the NGO to keep quiet and be shameful for demeaning herself to be used as agent of disharmony and bad omen, to say what is not true. Available records on convictions of persons charged with corruption are there to prove Transparency International wrong. Former governors, serving senator and a host of them are still in jail.
Transparency international must be out of her mind as she has failed in this one. This wrong step has jeopardized her long years of good records because of self-serving interest posed to blackmail Muhammadu Buhari’ led government’’

‘‘Not to talk about the political financial inducement which characterizes the activities of Transparency International Nigeria by crooked politicians for which will call on EFCC and ICPC to investigate all financial transactions associated with Transparency International up to fifth party transactions within the Nigeria space in order to really ascertain the level of Transparency of the NGO, to further know the moral strength with which Transparency International issued the said purported corruption perception index report’’

‘‘To this effect, we, therefore, raise a petition to all the anti-graft agencies to probe all Nigerians employed under the NGO, financial transactions up to fifth persons, as previously mentioned to further ascertain all within Transparency International and her purported claims. We are also aware of how politicians planted their representative in the NGO so that at any particular time they can deploy them through the instrumentality of Transparency International to cast aspersion on the government with visible progress recorded under the current administration in the fight against corruption’’

‘The Initiative for Leadership and Economic watch in Nigeria boldly affirm that Nigeria is winning the war against corruption. Self-assumed corruption perception index expert as Transparency International is only good with international cheap blackmail. TI is only trying to cover noticeable efforts made by President Buhari’s led government which further shows that the NGO has lost touch with the present realities as her falsehood mechanisms can no longer be regarded straightaway, for it lacks merit and focus’’

‘‘Transparency International is breaching the laws that prohibit public inciting, through vulgar language credited to the sovereignty of Nigeria as a nation by a mere NGO, it shows that TI has gone beyond her boundaries to insult the effort of the present leadership in the fight against corruption in Nigeria. TI claims should be thrown into the waste bin as it is where such ill statement belong’’

‘‘To further set the records straight on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari in the fight against corruption in Nigeria from 2017 to date, it should be noted that, between January and August 2018, the EFCC alone had secured 156 convictions, while 108billion Naira was recovered within the same period to credit of the current government. Between January and August 2019, Nigeria had recovered 106,516,222; 1,635,925 dollars; 629,193 pounds and 25,575 euro. These and more are recorded, which shows outright performance of the government in the fight against corruption in Nigeria. The progression in the numbers of convictions year in, year out with high profile cases which Nigerians are in shock seeing that, guilty persons from the ruling political party are been sentenced to jail including senators and former governors. This is the height of performance achieved by the administration witnessed by Nigerians, which further debase the assertions by Transparency International’’

‘‘We use this medium to call on the Nigerian media to disregard and not to allow the negative statement by Transparency International on corruption against the image of Nigeria to dominate the news platforms and not to fall cheap to international blackmail by a mere NGO. We call on the government to start an immediate investigation on all foreign NGOs working within the Nigerian economic space with respect to all financial transactions to ensure that none is used as a conduit pipe to launder money or worst.

Enough of foreign NGOs’ infiltrations into the Nigerian space with no curtained aim on why they are in Nigeria as defined in their purpose before coming into the country and doing different unimaginable things which are inimical to the Nigeria state’’

‘‘The need for an urgent investigation into the activities of foreign NGOs working within the Nigeria space is very sacrosanct at this material time, not to further open up for more polarization of the Nigeria economic space towards engendering national security’’

Ambassador Agbonkpolor Aironwanbor Splendour
Executive Director
Initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria