MO Ibrahim Index shows surging security concern in Nigeria

:Nigeria has fallen
to the 43rd overall
position, out of a
possible 52
countries, on the
latest Mo- Ibrahim
index of African
Governance (IIAG)
released yesterday,
largely on the back
of insecurity.
The country was at
the 41st position
last year, 40th in 2010, 35th in 2009, and 39th in
2008.
Nigeria had the lowest ranking in the area of
personal safety, which is a sub-category under
Safety and Rule of law, with a score of 11 out of a
possible 100 and a ranking of 51 out of 52 countries.
The average African score in personal safety was
44.
Personal safety is derived on the index from
national security, and the prevalence of armed
conflict, civil wars, and armed groups within
countries.
“It is about the safety of the citizen, rather than
state safety,” Hadeel Ibrahim, executive director at
the Mo-Ibrahim foundation told BusinessDay, in a
telephone interview.
“This decline in personal safety is one that should
be of real concern to citizens, viewed in the context
of what it means for law and order in Nigeria.”
Ibrahim tells BusinessDay that the variables used
for measuring physical integrity rights and personal
safety, include the prevalence of torture, extra
judicial killings, political imprisonment and
disappearance, political persecution and political
terror.
Also included, is the prevalence of violent social
unrest, the safety of the person, which is measured
as the level of criminality against individuals, and
the violent crime prevalence, (both organised and
common crime,) and a measure of human
trafficking and forced labour.
Nigeria was assessed on four categories of
governance, namely: Safety and Rule of Law,
Participation and Human Rights, Sustainable
Economic Opportunity and Human Development.
Nigeria’s score of 42 (out of 100) for overall
governance is lower than the regional average for
West Africa which is 52, and lower than the
continental average which is 51.
Nigeria received its highest score in the Human
Development category (48), which refers to
achievement in education and health, and its lowest
score in the Participation and Human Rights
category (38), which looks at gender rights, equality
and access to jobs and uneven development.
At the sub-category level, Nigeria’s highest rank is
in Rights (23rd) out of 52 countries. The country also
scored high in national security 73 out of a possible
100. National security refers to the security of the
state as a whole.
However, the country is ranked poorly in
infrastructure at 48th out of 52 countries and a score
of 11.
The 2012 Mo Ibrahim index also revealed that while
governance has improved in many African countries
since 2000, some of Africa’s regional powerhouses –
including Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa –
have shown unfavourable governance performance
since 2006.
Meanwhile, the Prize Committee informed the board
of the Foundation that it had not selected a winner
for 2012.
The Prize is an annual US$5 million award, paid over
10 years and US$200,000 annually for life
thereafter.