Global rankings show Nigeria and Afghanistan really are among the world’s most corrupt countries – yet we give them millions of pounds in aid which could actually fuel corruption.
Transparency International, an international non-governmental organisation, ranks war-torn Afghanistan as the third worst country in the world for corruption, only better than North Korea and Somalia, while Nigeria is 32nd from bottom.
Despite this, Britain gives £237million a year in aid to Nigeria and £198million to Afghanistan, the latest figures show. The total aid spending on the two countries is 35 per cent higher than when David Cameron came to power in 2010.
Two years ago, a report from an aid watchdog found that UK aid fuels corruption in Nigeria, with one scheme increasing the likelihood that locals would have to pay backhanders to the police. The Independent Commission For Aid Impact said the Department for International Development (DfID) was not ‘up to the challenge’ of tackling corruption, often because it was concerned about offending local politicians.
NIGERIA: CORRUPTION
Transparency International’s corruption perception index puts Nigeria at 136 out of 168 countries.
Corruption is endemic in Nigeria, with estimates as high as 400 billion US dollars lost since it won independence from Britain in 1960.
A 2014 study by the Independent Commission For Aid Impact found: ‘Petty corruption touches virtually every aspect of life and is accepted throughout society as normal and necessary. We heard stories of parents paying bribes to teachers to educate their children
, workers paying bribes to get jobs and receive their salaries, and pensioners paying bribes to receive pensions.’
It is believed that up to 20 billion US dollars have gone missing from the books of the state oil company, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.
Millions of dollars meant to be spent on vaccinations and on the fight against ebola have been illegally diverted
Surveys show that the Nigerian police is seen as the most corrupt institution in the country, with people having to pay bribes before officers will agree to help them.
BUT HERE ARE THEIR AID GRANTS
The UK gave £237 million in aid to Nigeria in 2014. More than £1billion has been given to the country since 2010 – despite the fact that it is rich enough to afford a space programme.
Benefits: In 2014, the UK gave £198mn in aid to Afghanistan. Pictured, President Ashraf Ghani
The DfID says the money goes towards providing clean water, food, health and education to millions of vulnerable people and does not go to government officials. It also claims there are robust checks to ensure the money is safe from corruption.
A study into a multi-million-pound aid programme to boost schools found that it had produced ‘no major improvement in pupil learning’. Researchers found teachers at subsidised schools frequently failed to turn up and children were left to play football all day.
The Independent Commission For Aid Impact found that after the UK spent millions on a scheme to tackle police bribery in Nigeria, locals said they were even more likely to have to pay backhanders.
Widespread problem: Billions of dollars of aid have been siphoned off by political elites linked to former Afghan president Hamid Karzai (pictured)
AFGHANISTAN: CORRUPTION
Transparency International’s corruption index puts Afghanistan at 166 out of 168 countries.
The New York Times once wrote: ‘Corruption can no longer be described as a cancer on the system: it is the system.’
Corruption takes the form of bribes, nepotism, position buying and illegal land transfers.
Policemen are accused of turning a blind eye to or even colluding with criminals and insurgents in smuggling or kidnapping for ransom.
A United Nations survey in 2012 found 50 per cent of Afghans were forced to pay bribes for government services. Money was demanded by teachers, customs officials, judges and prosecutors.
Corruption in Afghanistan goes right the way to the top – with former president Hamid Karzai himself apparently implicated. The Kabul Bank corruption scandal in 2010 saw members of his family and others accused of spending the bank’s money to fuel their lavish lifestyles.
AND HERE’S THEIR AID
In 2014, the UK gave £198million in aid to the country despite its record. The DfID says none of the money goes to the government and is only handed to local charities, with robust checks in place.
Millions have been spent on trying to crack down on the opium and heroin trade, but despite all the efforts the country’s poppy harvest is now at its highest ever level.
Last month it was reported that two schools in Helmand province, which were refurbished using British aid money, are now being used as bases for the Afghan army.
Billions of dollars of aid have been siphoned off by political elites linked to Mr Karzai. Experts believe that much may also have ended up in the hands of the Taliban.
The DfID said our funding supports basic services such as healthcare and education, economic development, and anti-corruption measures.
THE PM, THE QUEEN, THE ARCHBISHOP AND A VERY UNDIPLOMATIC REMARK
David Cameron: ‘We’ve had a very successful Cabinet meeting this morning to talk about our anti-corruption summit.’
The Queen: ‘Oh yes.’
David Cameron: ‘The Nigerians, the, well, actually we’ve got some leaders of some fantastically corrupt countries coming to Britain.’
The Queen: Inaudible
Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby: Inaudible
Candid conversation: David Cameron with the Queen and Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby at yesterday’s event for her 90th birthday
David Cameron: ‘No, Nigeria and Afghanistan, possibly the two most corrupt countries in the world.’
Justin Welby: ‘But this particular president is actually not corrupt.’
The Queen: ‘He’s trying?’
Justin Welby: ‘Oh yes, he’s trying very hard.’
John Bercow: ‘They are coming at their own expense obviously.’
David Cameron: ‘[chuckling] Oh yes. Because it’s an anti-corruption summit everything has to be open so there are no closed door sessions, it’s all in front of the press, so it could be quite interesting. But there you go.’
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