Nigeria records ₦721bn in bribes paid to public officials in 2023 – UN, NBS
Organised Labour, consisting of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), has maintained that its demand for a new minimum wage of ₦250,000 and the ₦62,000 figure submitted by the tripartite committee remain unchanged until after discussions with President Bola Tinubu.
A newly released report by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) has revealed that Nigerian public officials received ₦721 billion in bribes in 2023.
The report, titled “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends,” indicates that the ₦721 billion paid in bribes amounted to approximately 0.35% of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The survey, conducted with the UNODC, shows that the average cash bribe in 2023 was ₦8,284, up from ₦5,754 in 2019.
“According to the 2023 survey, the average cash bribe paid was 8,284 Nigerian Naira. While the nominal average cash bribe size increased since 2019 (from NGN 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,” the report read in part.
The report also highlights that 56% of Nigerians interacted with a public official in 2023, down from 63% in 2019. Despite this reduction, bribery remains widespread, with an average of 5.1 bribes paid per bribe payer, totaling approximately 87 million bribes nationwide. This is a decrease from the 117 million bribes estimated in 2019.
In 2023, over 95% of bribes were paid in monetary form, either as cash or money transfer. Public officials were more likely to demand bribes, although private sector actors, including doctors in private hospitals, also saw an increase from 6% in 2019 to 14% in 2023.
In 2023, 27% of Nigerians who interacted with a public official paid a bribe, a slight decrease from 29% in 2019. Including instances where bribes were requested but refused, over one-third of interactions between citizens and public officials involved bribery.
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The report also notes a growing trend of Nigerians refusing to pay bribes. In 2023, 70% of those asked to pay a bribe refused at least once, with the highest refusal rates in the North-West zone at 76%. All regions recorded refusal rates above 60%, indicating an increasing stand 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% in 2019 to 23% in 2023. Fewer citizens reported suffering negative consequences after refusing bribe requests in 2023 compared to 2019, suggesting growing empowerment among Nigerians to confront corrupt officials without fear of repercussions.
In 2023, 21% of bribe refusers indicated they refused because they had other options. Normative concerns (42%) and cost of living pressures (23%) also played significant roles in their refusal to pay bribes.
Furthermore, not less than 60% of public sector workers were hired due to nepotism, bribery, or both between 2020 and 2023. The report notes that six out of 10 successful candidates admitted to using either nepotism, bribery, or both to improve their chances of being recruited. Specifically, 27% admitted to using only bribery, 13% only nepotism, and 19% both. Conversely, 40% claimed to have secured their positions without resorting to any such means.
The report emphasized the need for closer monitoring of the public sector recruitment process, noting that 46% of those who secured jobs in the last three years paid a bribe. Additionally, 32% were helped by friends or relatives, with around 60% of public sector applicants hired through nepotism, bribery, or both.
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The use of bribery was notably lower when the recruitment process included formal assessments. Among those who underwent an assessment procedure, 41% made use of bribery, while the share was 53% among those not formally assessed.
Bribery was more common in rural areas, with rural residents paying an average of 5.8 bribes compared to 4.5 bribes in urban areas. Corruption was ranked fourth among the most important problems affecting the country in 2023, after the cost of living, insecurity, and unemployment.
The report added, “This suggests relatively stable and high levels of concerns 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.”
