The Latest Nigeria Corruption Survey Report released on Thursday revealed that about NGN 721 billion (US$1.26 billion) was paid in cash bribes to public officials in Nigeria in 2023.
The Survey was conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with support from the MacArthur Foundation and the Kingdom of Denmark.
The report said, “the average cash bribe paid was 8,284 Nigerian Naira (NGN). 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 actually 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 NGN 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 (GDP) of Nigeria.”
According to the report, more than 9 out of the 10 bribes are paid in cash or via money transfer.
While cash and money transfer was 95%, food and drink was 16%, animals 8%, exchange for other services was 7% and valuables was 4%.
The report also revealed that about 87 million bribes were paid in 2023, compared with 117 million bribes in 2019- the equivalent of an average of 0.8 bribes per each adult.
It said, in 2023, around 56 per cent of Nigerians had at least one contact with a public official in the 12 months prior to the survey- a reduction in the contact rate since 2019 (63 per cent), which was observed across most types of public officials and across zones.
The Report said, contact with public officials remains higher in urban areas (61 per cent) compared with rural areas (52 per cent).
It said, in 2023, the largest share of Nigerian citizens had contact with health care professionals and public utilities officers, at 30 per cent and 24 per cent respectively, while Police officers came third, with a contact rate of 20 per cent.
The report, however, disclosed that 70% of Nigerians who were asked to pay a bribe refused to do so at least one occasion, and at least 42% of respondents refused to pay a bribe because it was the wrong thing to do.
