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Key Measures Point Stinky Fingers @ Nigeria
From pervasive corruption to alarming incidences of intellectual property theft, Nigeria has been ranked among the bottom 10 performers in the world according to a compilation by ENDS.ng, Every Nigerian Do Something.
The rather unsavory compilation includes; general corruption where the country is ranked the 8th most corrupt nation in the world according to Transparency International 2013 Global Corruption Barometer.
Dr. Peregrino Brimah of ENDS, which builds peace and promotes progress through the power of the individual, also listed Police corruption with Nigeria at 4th on the ladder of countries where the Police force is perceived as corrupt, according to the same Transparency survey.
Elsewhere, the Economist Intelligence Unit, (EIU), ranked Nigeria the worst place to be born in 2013 while Nigeria with up to 740,000 in slave bondage ranks 4th in the world in modern slave nations, according to the just released Global Slavery Index. Fitting in after Pakistan.
Nigeria now occupies the number spot as haven for sea robbers in contrasts to slowing global stats.
According to the International Maritime Bureau reported Nigeria had 11 of 66 global incidents for the first quarter of 2013. 966 sailors were attacked last year off West African coasts.
In addition, the World Bank data, Nigeria ranks 9th worst in the world with 630 deaths per 100,000 from 10 years data collected from 1990-2010 while the 2011 Global Software Piracy Study conducted by Business Software Alliance ranked Nigeria 2nd in the world, with software piracy costing the nation a whopping $251m (N39.4bn).
Others are: #1 – Exam Malpractice: Director General National Orientation Agency (NOA) Mr. Mike Omeri whose agency partners with Exam Ethics Marshals International, in 2012 ranked Nigeria #1 in the World Exam Malpractice Index.
#11 – Good Governance: Nigeria ranked 4th worst in West Africa, 13th of 16, in Safety & Rule of Law, Participation & Human Rights, Sustainable Economic Opportunity, and Human Development, in the 2013 Ibrahim Index of African Governance. Nigeria ranked 41st out of the 52 countries listed overall.
#1 – Bribe: Nigeria ranks highest for Bribe in the world on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) interactive map, online at- fcpamap.com
#1 – VVF: According to United States Agency for International Development, USAID, Nigeria has the highest prevalence of Vesico-Vaginal Fistula in the world, with over 200,000 patients and an annual incidence at 20,000. That is 40% of the global cases in Nigeria alone.
#7 – Terrorism: Global Terrorism Index (GTI) ranks Nigeria the 7th worst in the world for terrorism over the last 10 years, according to its 2012 assessment.
#2 – Road Traffic Accidents (RTA): In 2012, Nigeria ranked second highest in road traffic accident (RTA) fatalities among the 193 countries in the world according to the Minister of Health.
#1 – Aviation Accident for 2012: In 2012 with over 153 onboard deaths and more on the ground, in the Dana Air Boeing MD83 airline accident, Nigeria had the world’s worst aviation accident.
#4 – Worst City: Despite aggressive transformation by the Lagos government, the EIU in its 2013 annual survey of 140 major metropolises ranked Lagos the 4th worst city in the entire world.
#7 – Growing Old: Global AgeWatch Index 2013 ranking of 91 countries, put Nigeria at #85; the seventh worst country to grow old in. Nigeria in the report ranked third lowest for income security.
#2 – HIV/AIDS: With an estimated 3.4 million living with the virus, the National Action Committee on Aids (NACA) put the nation as the second worst in the world.
#2 – Electricity: Nigeria is ranked by the World Bank as the 2nd worst in the world in power (electricity) supply. According to the report, 82.4 million Nigerians, half the nation lived without power. India is #1.
#1 – Kidnapping: In the first half of 2013, Nigeria had the most kidnapping attempts of any nation in the world, according to NYA International organization of Crises prevention and response. Recording 26%, over a quarter of all incidents. Mexico was second with 10% and Pakistan 3rd with 7%.
#1 – Oil Spills Worldwide: From Vanguard on November 14, 2012: Nigeria has highest oil spill in the world – Senate; the nation records the highest number of oil spill incidences among oil producing countries with no penalty regime attached to such oil spills
#4 – Oil Spillage Outages: Vanguard reported on October 8th, 2013, that with more than 200,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil being lost to pipeline vandalism, Nigeria ranks 4th worst in the world in oil spillage outages, according to Deutsche Bank and other shipping and industry estimates. Libya, Syria, Iran and lead Nigeria in outages for obvious reasons including recent wars and US sanctions at Iran.
But there is a glimmer of hope in it all. Nigeria actually does take the first position in something great:
#1 – Highest Paid Legislators: The Economist magazine revealed that Nigerian federal legislators are the highest paid in the world with an annual basic salary of $189,500 (N30.6 m).
“With the current state and direction of both the government and the people of Nigeria—Africa’s largest nation and the world’s most populated black country—the nation is not headed for improvement on these shameful rankings, but more predictably to slide further down the ladder into the darkest crevices of the black hole of Calcutta” Brimah stated
Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) pursuant to Section 60 of the Nigeria Tax Administration Act (NTAA), plans to ask Nigerian banks to debit bank accounts of employers who failed to remit tax liability.
This was disclosed in a recent notice on Sunday.
LIRS stressed that the move was in line with the implementation of the country’s NTAA and other new tax laws, which took effect on January 1, 2026.
“Where a taxpayer fails, neglects, or refuses to settle any established outstanding tax liability when due, LIRS may exercise its power under Section 60 to direct any of the following persons to pay the amount owed by the taxpayer:
“Banks and other financial institutions; Employers; tenants, debtors, or customers of the taxpayer; Agents, business partners, and any person holding money on behalf of the taxpayer; Any person owing money to the taxpayer, whether presently due or accruing. Once a substitution notice is issued, the person served is statutorily required to remit to LIRS the amount. Specified in the notice from funds belonging to, or payable to, the defaulting taxpayer,” the LIRS notice partly read.
Meanwhile, Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, weeks ago ruled out claims that the government would debit personal accounts over tax remittances.
Anambra State will implement pro-rata salary payments for civil servants starting February 2026, targeting chronic Monday absenteeism from the long-running sit-at-home order, Information Commissioner Dr. Law Mefor announced Saturday.
Soludo
Speaking at an Awka briefing after the Executive Council’s end-of-tenure retreat, Mefor said improved security and transport have eliminated excuses for the four-year disruption, which cost the state trillions in lost revenue. “Workers enjoyed full pay despite staying away; now, no work means no pay for that day, calculated over 24 working days,” he stated.
Compliance measures include mandatory Monday clock-in forms, with markets urged to reopen fully amid bolstered security. This builds on a January 22 executive order docking 20% pay from teachers absent on Mondays.
Mefor warned that lost Mondays cripple revenue collection and productivity, rejecting alternatives like Saturday shifts as capitulation to agitators.
News
Stakeholders Demand Stronger Governance and Infrastructure to Drive Tech Adoption @ Lagos AI Summit
As AI adoption accelerates across Nigeria, leaders at the “AI in Action Now” conference 2026 have called for a balance between rapid innovation and strict regulatory governance. The event, held at the Lagos Oriental Hotel, highlighted both the doggedness of Nigerian builders and the risks of unregulated data usage.
Dotun Adeoye, Co-Founder of AI Nigeria, raised alarms over “Shadow AI”, a trend where employees upload sensitive official documents to public AI platforms. He praised the Nigerian Data Protection Commission (NDPC) for its recent aggressive stance, including multi-million-dollar fines against major banks and social media brands.
“Innovation without governance is dangerous. The regulator now has the job of educating players. We are working in partnership with them to ensure players don’t just get fined, but actually understand how to protect data locally rather than storing it abroad, ” Adeoye noted.
Addressing issues of lack of infrastructure to carry AI adoption, Conference Convener Debola Ibiyode admitted that while Nigeria lacks the traditional foundation for AI adoption, the tech community cannot afford to wait.
“The simple answer is we don’t have the infrastructure, but Nigeria has never really had infrastructure to drive anything, and we still thrive, ” Iboyode said, encouraging students and builders to look beyond current limitations. “Once we start to build based on what we have now, it will encourage those who need to provide the infrastructure to do their part. The world will not wait for us,” she insisted.
To bridge this gap, she highlighted the AI Foundry Africa, an incubator designed to mentor ideas into market-ready products.
Meanwhile, speaking to journalists on the sidelines, Biodun Ogunleye, the Lagos State Commissioner of Energy and Mineral Resources, echoed the sentiment that the government’s role is to facilitate the right environment through partnership. He emphasized that data generated from interactions with the government must have long-term value.
“We must ensure that in all facets from production to interaction with government, the tools required to ensure data has value are appreciated,” Ogunleye stated.
He concluded that through private-sector collaboration, the government can focus on its primary functions while leveraging AI to ensure the nation aspires for the future.
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