A former Secretary of the Committee of All Progressives Congress (APC) Diaspora Chairmen, Mr. Ayoola Lawal, has condemned the inclusion of President Bola Tinubu in the recent global corruption ranking by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
The group, which coordinates a network of investigative journalists and activists around the world, said that President Tinubu came third after a vote by participants.
While Kenyan President William Ruto scored the most votes, Tinubu was listed as number three, following former Indonesian President, Joko Widodo.
The organizers, nonetheless, awarded the main Person of the Year label to Bashar al-Assad, the recently ousted leader of Syria, who fled to Russia earlier in December, 2024 after spending decades plundering the Middle-Eastern country.
Lawal, the immediate past Chairman of the APC in Scandinavian countries, questioned the basis and fairness of the ranking, which placed Tinubu amongst the world’s most corrupt leaders for 2024.
He described the ranking as “unjustified” and “lacking in merit,” emphasising that several of their allegations against Tinubu, which were cited as reasons for his inclusion, are historical and remain unproven.
According to him, Tinubu’s inclusion somewhat seems to be a mistake influenced by bias.
“It is utterly perplexing that the President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu is being ranked based on allegations that predate his presidency and still to be substantiated in any court of law,
“The OCCRP’s decision to include him in such a ranking appears to be more about perception than proven factual evidence,” he said.
Lawal argued that the ranking failed to consider Tinubu’s current leadership and policy initiatives, which he described as bold and focused on economic reforms.
While acknowledging that some of Tinubu’s policies have sparked public debate, Lawal maintained that they should not overshadow his efforts to address Nigeria’s pressing challenges.
“One will expect the OCCRP to focus on leaders whose actions in office have been proven to undermine public trust through corruption.
“Targeting President Tinubu with historical and unresolved allegations not only undermines his leadership, but also casts Nigeria and Nigerians in a negative light on the global stage,” he added.
Lawal urged the OCCRP to provide clearer criteria for its rankings and to avoid what he described as “selective judgment” that could harm international perceptions of developing nations.
He urged Nigerians to remain focused on holding their leaders accountable through constructive dialogue and democratic processes, rather than relying on controversial rankings that could easily be seen via bias
“True leadership accountability comes from within, through our institutions and collective voice as a people.“We must not allow external assessments that lack convincing standards to define our narrative without critically examining their validity.
“I hope the OCCRP will respond to criticisms of its methodology and the inclusion of Tinubu in its 2024 rankings,” he added.
-NAN