The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that 70% of Nigerians refused to pay bribes at least once in 2023. This information comes from the “NBS Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends Report,” released in Abuja on Thursday.
According to the report, the North-West region had the highest bribery refusal rate at 76%, with all zones recording refusal rates above 60%. Additionally, in 2023, only 38% of citizens reported suffering negative consequences for refusing bribes, down from 49% in 2019. This suggests an increasing empowerment among Nigerians to confront corrupt officials without fear of repercussions.
The report highlighted that 21% of those who refused bribes did so because they had other options for obtaining what they wanted. Meanwhile, 42% cited moral reasons for their refusal, and 23% indicated they could not afford the requested bribe. These findings underscore the influence of ethical considerations and cost of living pressures on bribery refusal rates.
In 2023, corruption was ranked as the fourth most significant problem affecting Nigeria, with 10.9% of respondents identifying it as a major issue. It trailed behind the cost of living (22.6%), insecurity (19%), and unemployment (13%). The report noted stable and high levels of concern about corruption compared to other issues such as education or housing.
Despite these trends, the report indicated a decline in Nigerians’ confidence in the government’s anti-corruption efforts. In 2019, more than half of the population believed the government was effectively fighting corruption; by 2023, this figure had dropped to less than a third. This decline in confidence was observed across all six geopolitical zones, with reductions exceeding 10 percentage points between 2019 and 2023.
The report also detailed that in 2023, 52% of all bribes were directly requested by public officials, while 23% were indirectly requested. Bribes were also given to facilitate procedures (9%), as signs of appreciation (8%), or through third-party requests (5%). Notably, over 95% of bribes were paid in monetary form, a slight increase from 2019, with other forms of bribes including food and drink (8%), animals (7%), and exchanges for other services (4%).
Approximately N721 billion was paid in cash bribes to public officials in Nigeria in 2023, representing 0.35% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The bribery reporting rate also saw an increase, with 8.6% of those who paid bribes reporting their experiences to official institutions in 2023, up from 3.6% in 2019. This increase was mainly driven by developments in the Northern zones, where the reporting rate rose from 4.7% in 2019 to 13.4% in 2023. In contrast, the Southern zones experienced a moderate decrease in the reporting rate from 2.5% in 2019 to 1.7% in 2023.
Moreover, more formal procedures were initiated following reports, with 45% of cases seeing action and only 17% experiencing no follow-up.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) notes that this is the third round of the corruption survey, with previous rounds conducted in 2016 and 2019 across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The survey, also known as the National Survey on Quality and Integrity of Public Services in Nigeria, was implemented by NBS in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
(NAN)