Enelamah faults TI’S rating

THE Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, has said that the present administration will not be deterred by the low rating of Nigeria’s fight against corruption index in 2017, announced recently by Transparency International, given government’s determination to win the war.

He also urged Nigerians to learn how to keep faith in the country because the nation will do well.

Global anti-corruption watchdog, Transparency International (TI), ranked Nigeria low in its 2017 Corruption Perception Index (CPI), released on last Wednesday, which placed the country in 148th position out of 180, a situation that has drawn various comments from government officials.

Enelamah said Transparency International is lagging in its indication, but that “We have to believe, act on it, and Transparency International will follow but we must take a lead.”

The Minister stated this Tuesday at the launching of the Nigerian Annual Trade Policy Report (NATPOR), the first edition put together by the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN), in Abuja.

NAPTOR identifies the priorities in Nigeria’s trade policy, and the use of trade policy as an instrument for structural transformation for diversification, modernisation, construction of regional and global value chains, welfare enhancement, job creation.

The document, which was presented to the public by the Minister, is expected to be published annually. He identified statistics as one of the main highlights of the report, which could be used to monitor, assess, and re-negotiate Nigeria’s trading relationship with counterparts.