The World Justice Project (WJP) in its 2023 global Rule of Law Index has placed Nigeria 120th of the 142 countries in terms of adherence to rule of law.
The WJP in it’s report also ranked the West African country as second worst country in terms of security in the sub-Saharan region (33rd out of 33 countries).
The 2023 index released on Wednesday in Washington DC, United States, which placed Nigeria 120th of the 142 countries also said the country is ranked 23rd out of the 34 countries ranked in the sub-Saharan region.
The WJP in its report said countries were ranked witheight indicators, and they are:
— Constraints on government powers
— Absence of corruption — Open government
— Fundamental rights
— Order and security
— Regulatory enforcement
–Civil justice
–Criminal justice.
The report while noting that Nigeria’s score increased, said it slipped by two points from the 2022 index where it was ranked 118th out of the 140 countries ranked globally that year.
“This is the sixth consecutive Index marking global declines in the rule of law. This year alone, the rule of law declined in 59 per cent of countries surveyed. However, Nigeria is among the minority of countries to see its Rule of Law Index score increase this year,” the report stated.
The top-ranked country in the 2023 WJP Rule of Law Index is Denmark, followed by Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Germany.
The country with the lowest score is Venezuela, trailed by Cambodia, Afghanistan, Haiti, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
