Over 70 per cent of Nigerians who were asked to pay a bribe in 2023 refused to do so on at least one occasion, according to a new report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
“Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends”, jointly produced with Nigeria's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) with the support of the MacArthur Foundation and the Government of Denmark, is the third survey of perceptions of corruption among the Nigerian population and provides an analysis of corruption trends and the effectiveness of anti-corruption strategies in the country.
"This survey is unique in the sense that it is focused on understanding the experience of corruption by Nigerians, rather than just perceived corruption, whenever they encounter any public officials,” said Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, Statistician-General of NBS. “Two new and vital modules – on Gender and Disability – were introduced to the instruments deployed, to give us a deeper understanding of the experience and impact of corruption on marginalized or typically excluded groups such as women, youths, and persons with disabilities.”
Launched by the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice of Nigeria, the survey finds that fewer citizens reported suffering negative consequences after refusing a bribe request in 2023 compared with 2019 (38 per cent versus 49 per cent), suggesting that Nigerians are becoming increasingly comfortable with confronting corrupt officials without fear of repercussions.
Out of all citizens who paid a bribe, 8.6 per cent reported their experience to an official institution in 2023, a marked rise from 3.6 per cent in 2019. The increase may be a result of enhanced access to complaints channels and an increased readiness of institutions to take such complaints seriously and initiate a formal procedure. The share of bribery reports that led to the initiation of a formal procedure against a public official increased nearly three-fold between 2019 and 2023, from 16 per cent to 45 per cent, while the share of those who experienced no follow-up after reporting fell from 34 per cent to 17 per cent.
Despite these notable advances, corruption continues to rank among the most important problems affecting Nigerians, after cost of living, insecurity, and unemployment, and there remain challenges to effectively countering corruption in the country.
Roughly US $1.26 billion – or .35 per cent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product - was paid in cash bribes to public officials in 2023. The prevalence of bribe payments in the private sector increased significantly, meanwhile, from 6 per cent in 2019 to 14 per cent in 2023.
A special gender equity and social inclusion component of the survey report highlights that women continue to be less likely to engage in bribery irrespective of where they live, their age, educational background, and employment status. When in contact with public officials, women (28 per cent) are less likely to experience bribery than men (39 per cent). The survey further shows that only 19 per cent of women public officials solicit or take a bribe when interacting with the public, compared to 35 per cent of male public officials.
In addition, the 2023 report found that people with disabilities are as likely as everyone else to be approached for the payment of bribes. Yet having to pay bribes when accessing public services is likely to place a far greater burden on people with disabilities.
The survey concludes with several policy recommendations. The positive attitude and behavioral changes towards corruption could be further encouraged through rewarding honest citizens and public officials, while holding those who do solicit or accept bribes, including those in the criminal justice system and Parliament, accountable.
Complaint mechanisms could be strengthened and made more accessible. Increasing the use of e-government – and thereby reducing the amount of contact citizens have with public officials – could further reduce the number of bribes paid.
“Through this 3rd National Survey, Nigeria leads in establishing international best practice in the implementation of the United Nations Convention against Corruption through the conduct of periodic and scientific assessment of corruption and anti-corruption efforts, reinforcing the importance of evidence-based strategies in the journey towards a corruption-free society,” said Oliver Stolpe, Country Representative, UNODC Nigeria.
Read the report here.
Chioma Ekene-Ugwu
chioma.ekene-ugwu[at]un.org
