National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, has said that Nigerians paid N721 billion in cash bribes to public officials in 2023.
NBS revealed this in a survey report titled: “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and trends”, indicated that more than 95 per cent of all bribes Nigerians paid in 2023 were in monetary form.
Meanwhile, the report also showed that Nigerians’ confidence in the government’s anti-corruption effort declined during the review period.
The report said an estimated total of N721 billion ($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 (GDP) of Nigeria.
It said in 2023, bribes paid in public official’s office and the streets accounted for around 35 and 36 per cent of all paid bribes, respectively.
11 per cent of bribes were paid in the respondents’ own homes, while 7 per cent were paid in public buildings such as restaurants, malls, or stations.
The survey further revealed that in 2023, the largest share of Nigerian citizens that had contact with health care professionals and public utility officers for bribery was at 30 per cent and 24 per cent respectively.
It added that police officers came third, with a contact rate of 20 per cent.
On Nigerians confidence in government anti-corruption efforts, NBS said citizens’ confidence in the government’s anti-corruption effort has been declining over time and across regions.
It noted that 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 NBS report also revealed that private sector bribery increased from 6.0 per cent of citizens who had at least one contact with a private sector actor in 2019 to 14 per cent in 2023.