IN SHORT: While Nigerians grapple with the rising cost of living and reported bad governance, a claim has spread on social media that an investigative journalism group has named Nigeria's president the most corrupt person in the world for 2024. But that's not quite true - the top spot went to the ousted leader of Syria.
Several social media posts claim that Nigerian president Bola Tinubu has been named the world's most corrupt person for 2024.
One post, dated 9 January 2025, reads: "Bola Tinubu tops list of world's most corrupt, organised crime Persons of the Year in 2024 ... The infamous award came after the OCCRP called for citizens worldwide to nominate individuals worthy of taking the spotlight for their roles in advancing criminal activities."
Tinubu was sworn in as Nigeria's president on 29 May 2023. He has since introduced unpopular measures, including the removal of the fuel subsidy, which led to increases in petrol and food prices.
In August 2024, the country was hit by nationwide protests over the rising cost of living and accusations of bad governance under the Tinubu administration.
The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, or OCCRP, is an investigative journalism organisation with teams on six continents.
The organisation's "Person of the Year in Organized Crime and Corruption" award focuses on those who "do the most to wreak havoc around the world through organized crime and corruption".
Other posts claiming Tinubu has won this award can be found here, here and here. (Note: See more instances at the end of this report.)
But is there any truth to the claim? We checked.
Ousted Syrian leader takes the award
The OCCRP usually announces winners of this award on its official website. The public can nominate a person, but a panel of journalists, academics and members of civil organisations chooses the winner.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
On 30 December 2024, the OCCRP announced Bashar al-Assad, the ousted Syrian leader, as the winner for that year.
"In addition to being a dictator like his father before him, Assad added unimaginable dimensions of crime and corruption, ruining the lives of countless people even outside the border of his own country," said one of the panellists.
Assad served as Syria's president from 2000 until December 2024, when anti-government forces took control of the capital, Damascus, bringing an end to his regime. He then fled the country, reportedly to Moscow, Russia. He is notorious for his authoritarian practices.
"His forces were accused of widespread human rights abuses, including torture, murder, the use of chemical weapons, mass detentions, and the targeting of civilians," the OCCRP said.
According to the organisation, Tinubu received the third-most votes:
The claim that the Nigerian president topped the list of the world's most corrupt people in 2024 is misleading. Although he was one of the people nominated for the award, he only received the third-most votes.
More posts making the same claim can be found here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here.
