A recent survey report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that Nigerians paid a staggering N721 billion in cash bribes to public officials in 2023. The report, titled “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends,” was released yesterday and highlighted that more than 95 percent of all bribes paid during the year were in monetary form.
The report detailed various aspects of bribery in Nigeria, estimating that the total cash bribes paid to public officials amounted to approximately $1.26 billion, representing 0.35 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
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“In 2023, bribes paid in a public official’s office and on the street accounted for around 35 and 36 percent of all paid bribes, respectively,” the report stated. Additionally, 11 percent of bribes were paid in respondents’ homes, while 7 percent occurred in public buildings such as restaurants, malls, or stations.
The survey also highlighted sectors with high bribery contact rates. “The largest share of Nigerian citizens that had contact with health care professionals and public utility officers for bribery was at 30 percent and 24 percent respectively. Police officers came third, with a contact rate of 20 percent,” the report noted.
Despite the ongoing anti-corruption efforts, Nigerians’ confidence in the government’s effectiveness in combating corruption has declined significantly. The NBS report observed, “While in 2019, more than half of all citizens thought that the government was effective in fighting corruption, in 2023, the share declined to less than a third of all citizens.”
The survey also uncovered an increase in private sector bribery, with the percentage of citizens who had at least one contact with a private sector actor for bribery rising from 6.0 percent in 2019 to 14 percent in 2023.
The NBS findings underscore the persistent challenge of corruption in Nigeria and the need for more robust measures to address both public and private sector bribery.
