ICPC rises to second in Nigeria transparency index

Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has ranked second among 518 federal institutions in the 2026 Transparency and Integrity Index, recording a score of 80.13 per cent, according to the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity. The assessment placed the ICPC among only four institutions in the index’s “Excellent” band, defined as a score of 70 per cent or above. The commission’s result was an improvement on its 2025 performance, when it scored 78.13 per cent and ranked third among 575 institutions.

ICPC chairman Musa Adamu Aliyu welcomed the result, saying independent recognition of the commission’s progress was encouraging. He said an anti-corruption agency needed to demonstrate transparency, accountability and integrity in its own systems rather than merely demand those standards from other institutions. Aliyu said the commission would not become complacent.

He pledged a review of its performance across the index’s thematic areas, with improvements to be made where necessary ahead of the 2027 assessment. The index examines disclosure of financial, procurement and contracting information, human-resource data, anti-corruption measures and channels for citizen engagement. It also considers the availability of budget records, recruitment information, whistleblowing policies and avenues for public participation.

The broader results showed low performance across the federal public sector. Only eight of the 518 institutions scored above 50 per cent, while four reached the Excellent benchmark. CeFTPI unveiled the 2026 index in Abuja on September 28.

The organisation established the annual assessment in 2021 to measure proactive disclosure, accountability, access to information and institutional safeguards against corruption.