A recent survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that Nigerian citizens disbursed a total of N721 billion in cash gratifications to governmental personnel in 2023.
The report, titled “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and trends,”which was made public yesterday, disclosed that more than 95 percent of the bribes paid by Nigerians in 2023 were in monetary form.
Moreover, the survey indicated a diminishing faith among Nigerians in the government’s endeavors to combat corruption during the period under review.
The report specified: “In its entirety, it is approximated that a sum of about N721 billion ($1.26 billion) was dispensed in cash bribes to government officials in Nigeria in 2023, equivalent to 0.35 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“During the same year, bribes transacted in an official’s office and on the streets constituted approximately 35 and 36 percent of all bribes paid, respectively.
“Eleven percent of bribes were exchanged within the respondents’ households, while seven percent were handed over in public establishments such as eateries, shopping centers, or terminals.
“In 2023, the highest proportion of Nigerian citizens engaging in bribery was observed in interactions with healthcare practitioners and public service providers, accounting for 30 and 24 percent respectively.
“Law enforcement officers ranked third, with a contact rate of 20 percent.”
Regarding Nigerians’ trust in the government’s anti-corruption campaigns, the NBS noted: “The confidence of Nigerians in the government’s anti-corruption initiatives has been dwindling both over time and across various regions.
“While more than half of the populace believed in 2019 that the government was efficacious in combating corruption, by 2023, this figure plummeted to less than a third of all citizens.”
The NBS report also highlighted that the incidence of bribery involving private sector entities surged from 6.0 percent of individuals who had interacted with a private sector entity in 2019 to 14 percent in 2023.
