The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported that in 2023, citizens paid over N700 billion in cash bribes to public officials. This information is part of the NBS report titled “NBS Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends.”
The report, released in Abuja on Thursday, reveals that 70 percent of Nigerians refused to pay bribes at least once in 2023. Notably, 76 percent of those who rejected bribes were from the northwest, marking the highest rate among the geo-political zones.
According to the report, “The average cash bribe paid was 8,284 Nigerian Naira (NGN). While the nominal average cash bribe size has increased since 2019 (from NGN 5,754), this figure does not account for inflation. The inflation-adjusted average cash bribe in 2023 was actually 29 percent smaller than in 2019 in terms of purchasing power.”
The report estimates that approximately NGN 721 billion (US$1.26 billion) was paid in cash bribes to public officials in Nigeria in 2023, representing 0.35 percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The NBS found that 52 percent of all bribes paid to public officials were demanded by them, with indirect bribes accounting for 23 percent. Other reasons for paying bribes included facilitating procedures (nine percent), as a sign of appreciation (eight percent), and third-party requests (five percent).
The data also indicated that over 95 percent of all bribes in 2023 were paid in cash or via money transfer. Corruption was ranked as the fourth most significant issue affecting the country in 2023, at 10.9 percent, following the cost of living (22.6 percent), insecurity (19 percent), and unemployment (13 percent).
The report also highlighted a decline in Nigerians’ confidence in the government’s anti-corruption efforts. This trend is consistent across all regions, with each of the six zones showing reductions of more than 10 percentage points in confidence levels between 2019 and 2023.
