A newly released report by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has revealed that Nigerian public officials received at least ₦721 billion in bribes in 2023.
The findings, based on a survey conducted with the UNODC, are detailed in the NBS report titled “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends,” which was issued on Thursday. The report found that bribes totalled ₦721 billion, representing approximately 0.35 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP.
According to the survey, the average cash bribe was ₦8,284, an increase from an average of ₦5,754 in 2019. However, when adjusted for inflation, the average cash bribe in 2023 was 29 per cent smaller than in 2019 in terms of purchasing power.
“According to the 2023 survey, the average cash bribe paid was ₦8,284. While the nominal average cash bribe size increased since 2019 (from ₦5,754), this does not account for inflation. The inflation-adjusted average cash bribe in 2023 was 29 per cent smaller than in 2019 in terms of what could be bought with the money.
“Overall, it is estimated that a total of roughly ₦721 billion (US$1.26 billion) was paid in cash bribes to public officials in Nigeria in 2023, corresponding to 0.35 per cent of the entire Gross Domestic Product of Nigeria,” the report stated.
The research indicated that 56 per cent of Nigerians interacted with a public official in 2023, down from 63 per cent in 2019. Despite this decrease, bribery remains prevalent, with an average of 5.1 bribes paid per bribe payer, totalling around 87 million bribes nationwide. This represents a decline from the 117 million bribes estimated in 2019.
The research also found that over 95 per cent of bribes in 2023 were paid in monetary form, either cash or money transfer. Public authorities were more likely to demand bribes, though private sector corruption, including bribes to doctors at private hospitals, increased from 6 per cent in 2019 to 14 per cent in 2023. Despite this increase, bribery in the public sector remains approximately twice as high as in the private sector, with public sector contact rates also being twice as high.
In 2023, 27 per cent of Nigerians who met with a public official paid a bribe, a slight decrease from 29 per cent in 2019. More than one-third of encounters between citizens and public officials involved bribery, including instances where bribes were requested but refused.
The report also shows a growing trend of Nigerians refusing to pay bribes. In 2023, 70 per cent of those asked to pay a bribe refused at least once, with the highest refusal rates in the North-West zone at 76 per cent. All regions recorded refusal rates above 60 per cent, indicating that Nigerians are increasingly standing against corruption.
According to the report, bribery is becoming less accepted in Nigeria. The percentage of citizens who view bribery requests as acceptable to expedite administrative procedures decreased from 29 per cent in 2019 to 23 per cent in 2023. Additionally, fewer citizens reported suffering negative consequences after refusing bribe requests in 2023 compared to 2019. This suggests a growing empowerment among Nigerians to confront corrupt officials without fear of repercussions.
In 2023, 21 per cent of bribe refusers indicated they refused because they had other options. Normative concerns (42 per cent) and cost of living pressures (23 per cent) also played significant roles in their refusal to pay bribes.
Furthermore, at least 60 per cent of public sector workers were hired due to nepotism, bribery, or both between 2020 and 2023. The report noted that six out of ten successful candidates admitted to using either nepotism, bribery, or both to improve their chances of being recruited. Specifically, 27 per cent admitted to using only bribery, 13 per cent to only nepotism, and 19 per cent to both bribery and nepotism. Conversely, 40 per cent of the candidates claimed to have secured their positions without resorting to any such means, based on data collected between November 2020 and October 2023.
The report stated, “The selection process used to recruit public officials plays a crucial role in shaping the culture of integrity that should drive the civil service as well as ensure that recruits have the highest standards of professionalism and merit.
However, the 2023 survey findings indicate that the public sector recruitment process requires closer monitoring, as almost half (46 per cent) of people who secured a job in the public sector in the last three years before the survey admitted that they paid a bribe to facilitate their recruitment – about 1.5 times the share found in the 2019 survey (31 per cent).
“The 2023 survey also found evidence that a considerable number of people recruited into the public sector secured their posts with the help of a friend or relative, many in addition to paying a bribe: of all successful applicants in the last three years before the 2023 survey, 32 per cent were helped by friends or relatives. Overall, in the three years before the 2023 survey, around 60 per cent of public sector applicants in Nigeria were hired as a result of nepotism, bribery, or both – about 1.2 times the share found in the 2019 survey.”
The investigation also stated that when official assessments are included in the recruitment process, the use of bribes decreases significantly. Specifically, 51 per cent of candidates were not formally evaluated, and a considerable 53 per cent admitted to employing bribes or nepotism to secure their jobs. In contrast, among the 49 per cent of candidates who took a written exam or oral interview, the use of unethical techniques such as bribery or nepotism decreased to 41 per cent.
The report read: “The 2023 survey data show that approximately half (49 per cent) of those who secured a position in the public sector in the three years before the survey passed a written test and/or oral interview during the recruitment selection process. Importantly, the data suggest that the means of selection had a role in facilitating or preventing the use of illegal practices during recruitment. Among those who underwent an assessment procedure (written test/oral interview), 41 per cent made use of bribery, while the share was as much as 53 per cent among those who were not formally assessed.”
It was also revealed that bribery is more widespread in rural areas, with rural residents paying an average of 5.8 bribes versus 4.5 bribes in cities.
According to the analysis, corruption is the fourth most critical concern affecting the country in 2023, trailing only the cost of living, insecurity, and unemployment.
It added, “This suggests relatively stable and high levels of concern about corruption over time and compared to other concerns such as education or housing.
“Nigerians’ confidence in the government’s anti-corruption effort has been declining over time and across regions. 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 downward trend in citizens’ confidence is observable across the entire country, with all six zones recording reductions of more than 10 percentage points between 2019 and 2023 in terms of the share of citizens who thought the government was effective in fighting corruption.”
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