NIGERIANS on social media have expressed concerns after President Bola Tinubu was named one of the five finalists for the 2024 “Corrupt Person of the Year” by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
The announcement, made on Tuesday, December 31, has drawn mixed reactions from Nigerians. Many expressed disappointment and affirmation over the inclusion of the country’s leader in such a ranking.
Tinubu, who secured the third-highest number of nominations, was shortlisted alongside Kenya’s President William Ruto, former Indonesian President Joko Widodo, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, and Indian businessman Gautam Adani.
The OCCRP noted that the finalists were selected from over 55,000 nominations submitted by journalists, readers, and the project’s global network.
According to the report, more than 40,000 people nominated Kenyan President William Ruto for “Person of the Year” in organised crime and corruption.
The nominations were driven by widespread frustration over soaring youth unemployment, a controversial Finance Bill, and anger at his government seen as deeply corrupt.
Ruto’s administration faces allegations of greed and corruption, which critics say have led to failures in economic policies, healthcare, and education, as well as political instability and the reported abduction of opposition figures.
This consequently led to young Kenyans taking to the streets in June and July 2024, staging weeks of protests demanding his resignation.
The demonstrations were met with force, as security operatives used tear gas, water cannons, arrests, and even live bullets. Many protesters were killed, injured, or went missing during the unrest.
While Ruto, Widodo and Tinubu secured the highest votes in the nomination, the judges named ousted Syrian leader, Bashar Al-Assad, as the most corrupt leader.
The organisers stated that the award is reserved for the individual who has caused “the most to wreak havoc around the world through organised crime and corruption.”
They noted that Al-Assad’s roles in destabilising Syria, its neighbours, and the entire Middle East, along with the far-reaching consequences of his actions, earned him the top position.
While the reports didn’t factor in the complaints submitted alongside the nominations received for Tinubu, his placement among the indicted leaders could be attributed to many controversies, past and present allegations, and the lack of transparency surrounding Tinubu’s wealth and government.
A report by OCCRP had linked his family to multi-million-dollar properties in London, including a $10.8 million mansion acquired under questionable circumstances.
A Bloomberg investigation exposed that Seyi, Tinubu’s son, is the main shareholder of Aranda Overseas Corp – an offshore company he used in purchasing a $10.8 million property under probe by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Other reports, including Seyi’s
These allegations had fueled public outrage, with many calling for the President’s disqualification before the 2023 presidential poll.
Following his swearing-in as President, Nigerians accused his administration of perpetuating economic hardship, high inflation, and controversial policies.
The ICIR reported how 2024 was marked by widespread protests under the banner of #EndBadGovernance, where citizens decried rising poverty and poor governance.
The administration’s handling of the protests, including mass arrests of protesters, human rights abuses, and attacks on journalists also deepened public discontent.
Nigerians react
Meanwhile, some Nigerians on X have reacted to Tinubu’s nomination by the OCCRP.
A lawyer @AbdulMahmud01 posted on X “I mentioned the OCCRP who announced BAT as the organised crime person of2024 in my op-ed: “This is how the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) gave clarity to it in one of its reports last year: “Tinubu’s history is not entirely clean”.
Another X user @Nattychemical said drug and certificate forgery allegations against Tinubu helped in the nomination process for the OCCRP ranking.
“Mr Tinubu’s history as a cocaine dealer in Chicago also helped inform participants in the nomination process for the OCCRP ranking, submissions showed. He was also rocked by allegations of certificate forgery shortly after he was inaugurated…This is the character some clowns are supporting. Very sad.,” he tweeted.
An X user @aakpodea said, “A country where power isn’t available for critical things like surgery but we budget billions for helipads. Propagandist-in-chief Tinubu is indeed who he is, the world’s most corrupt organised crime personality in the year 2024.”
In his reaction, Ebuka Oledibe attributed the ranking to why Nigeria’s GDP is dropping.
“Bola Tinubu tops world’s most corrupt organised crime person of the year in 2024. No wonder Nigerian GDP dropped from $277 billion to $199 billion with lots of killings and kidnappings that happened this year.”
Meanwhile, an X user Abdulrahman Khalid queried why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is excluded from the list.
“Amazing! I wonder how corruption is perceived in this era. So Netanyahu who is the No. 1-10 of most corrupt people in the world for the crimes against lives, humanity, property, healthcare, arrest-evasion, violation of children, women’s and clergy, livestock, forests..is excluded?” he asked.
Abbey Odeyemi an X user in his tweet on the subject said speaking ill of the President because some people lost an election would not augur well for the nation.
Sanusi Altine in his view said the rankings were based on public nominations and had been criticised for trying to undermine the Tinubu administration’s legitimacy.
“The OCCRP placed President Tinubu third on its 2024 “Corrupt Person of the Year” list, citing allegations of drug trafficking, forgery and financial malpractice. The rankings are based on public nominations and have faced criticism for attempting to delegitimise his administration.”
