The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) says Nigerians paid an estimated N721 billion cash as bribe to public officials in 2023.
The Bureau in its July 2024 third survey on corruption as experienced by the population titled ‘Corruption In Nigeria: Patterns And Trends’, said that of all Nigerian citizens who had at least one contact with a public official in the 12 months prior to the 2023 survey, 27 percent paid a bribe to a public official.
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.
“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 of Nigeria.
In 2023, bribes paid in a public official’s office and the street 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.
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.
Police officers came third, with a contact rate of 20 per cent,” the report reads in part.
