Nigerian officials took home $1.3 billion in bribes last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
This happened while many Nigerians struggled to survive due to a bad economy. Some even died trying to get food. But corruption remained a big problem.
“A cost-of-living crisis…emboldened 23% of Nigerians to refuse to pay a bribe when demanded,” said the bureau.
Economic hardship was a bigger worry for Nigerians than corruption, per the survey.
“Economic hardship…was ranked higher on a list of priorities for survey participants than corruption, which placed fourth, insecurity, and unemployment.
“Less than a third of Nigerians thought that the government was effective in fighting corruption,” said the bureau.
“The frequency of bribery is higher in rural areas than in urban areas,” said the statistics agency.
Bribery was most common among prosecutors, land registry officers, and customs and immigration officers. Judges and magistrates pocketed the largest portion.
“In 2023, bribe-payers living in urban areas paid an average of 4.5 bribes, while those living in rural areas paid an average of 5.8 bribes,” said the report.
The number of bribes paid went down to 87 million from 117 million in 2019. This was because people had less contact with officials.
“Bribery was most rife among prosecutors, land registry officers, and custom and immigration officers, though Nigeria’s judges and magistrates received the largest kickbacks,” said the report.
Nigeria ranks 145th out of 180 countries in corruption, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI).
